If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways: Get help with access Institutional accessĪccess to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. Despite opportunities to redefine its national character and embrace its diversity, Trinidad remains a country that is subject to a divisive debate over national character that pervades every other political issue. Among the cases in this book, Trinidad is perhaps the most realistic model for contemporary democracies that are unable to reconcile inevitable demographic change. Through the annual Carnival-the hallmark of the nation’s identity-this chapter explores how the country is consumed by the racial “costumes” its people wear every day.

Now comprising nearly equal shares of the national population, both groups view many public matters through the narrow lens of ethnic supremacy. Afro-Trinidadian Creoles ruled the country for the first thirty years of sovereignty, but over time Indo-Trinidadians prospered economically, grew in number, and challenged Afro-Trinidadians’ claims of authenticity before ultimately forming an Indocentric political party and winning power. This chapter examines the case of Trinidad and Tobago.

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