A diversity of whiteness in the British West Indies

―Questioning whiteness: “Who is white?” in Barbados and Trinidad―

Abstract

　This paper explores questions of identity as a European-descended white, in the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Trinidad, and an examination of who is considered white and what constitutes their whiteness in relation to non-whites. In August 2016 and February 2017, oral history interviews were conducted in Barbados and Trinidad with adult participants who consider themselves white and who are considered white by other whites. The interviews were anonymously transcribed word-by-word, reconstructed into narratives without losing the participants' intention and meaning, and then quoted in this paper's analysis. The research findings suggest that the European-descended whites in Barbados are willing to speak out about their racial background, that is, you could claim that you are “white” as far as your physical features allow. On the other hand, the European-descended whites in Trinidad insist on their racial purity as white, and show apparent discomfort with the idea of interracial marriage. While maintaining this concept of racial purity as white is difficult in the globalised Caribbean, colonial notions of whiteness still remain in these societies.