George Mason University
Harvesting Home: Economies, Gender, and Identity in the Crop Over Festival
Abstract
In 1974, the former Harvest Home festival in Barbados was revived and rebranded as the Crop Over Festival under the direction of the country’s Board of Tourism. The 8-week festival was heralded as a celebration of Barbadian history, culture, and tradition. While new in its branding, the festival’s roots harkened back to the island’s end-of-harvest festival dating back to plantation mills in the late 1700s. Organized by the Tourism Board, the summer festival aimed to celebrate culture and nationhood, seeking to boost the island’s visitor numbers during what had historically been referred to as the “hard times.” Building upon this historical foundation, this dissertation analyzes the Crop Over Festival and its role in navigating the island’s postcolonial condition. Specifically, it examines the spaces for identity-making, economic independence, and gendered labor that are reproduced in an attempt to construct a postcolonial identity while sometimes holding on to colonial vestiges.
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author
-
- Rigaud, Shauna Marie
Subjects
dc:subject × 6Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Identifier
- hdl:1920/14567
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:MARS:1920/14567