The Problem of Freedom: Race, Labor, and Politics in Jamaica and Britain, 1832-1938

by Thomas C. Holt and Professor Thomas C. Holt

Book Overview

"Holt greatly extends and deepens our understanding of the emancipation experience when, for just over a century, the people of Jamaica struggled to achieve their own vision of freedom and autonomy against powerful conservative forces."-David Barry Gaspar.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801842913
• ISBN13: 9780801842917
• Release Date: November 1991
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 552 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Big Book, Big Implications

Holt studies Jamaica,from the emanicpation of the slaves to the labor problems faced by ex-slaves in the 1930s. But the narrow focus is misleading - really Holt writes about "the problem of freedom:" the tast of socializing ex-slaves into becoming productive laborers - the problem of convincing freedpeople that it's in their best interest to labor for tiny wages, for the profit of the wealthy. Another major focus is the inherent contradictions of classical liberalism - economic freedom does and always has required brutal and blatent inequalities in the political and social spheres.Certainly not everyone will agree with Holt, but his argumentation and analysis are impeccable. If you believe that self-determination and free enterprise are practically the same thing - or if you think that capitalism and democracy are one and the same - you must read Holt's book.