Pursuing Social Justice Agendas in Caribbean Higher Education: Perspectives and Prospects for Small Island Developing States

This book offers a treatment of social justice and higher education within small island developing states like the Caribbean. This is a timely exploration of some of the global-local, structure-actor, policy-practice debates that connect directly to the promise and the challenges of pursuing social justice agendas within and beyond Caribbean institutions of higher education.

In this book, the key points of examination are the (i) changing patterns within the global higher education landscape, emerging mandates for university systems, (ii) the perspectives and challenges for diverse student and staff populations, and (iii) the ways in which these collectively impact social justice agendas within institutions of higher education. The contextualization and politicization of these issues within the broader discourse of small island developing states deepens the understanding of the prospects and challenges of addressing social injustices within the contemporary landscape, but with some re-engagement of existing conceptions and theorizations (related to inclusivity, diversity, equity, ontology, coloniality, postcolonial and critical race theory) to inform how actors within these institutions can strategically respond.

It will be vital reading for scholars and educational researchers with interests in higher education, social justice, and small island developing states (SIDS).

Talia R. Esnard is a Senior Lecturer and sociologist within the Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus.