Netherlands Antilles and Aruba: A Research Guide (Caribbean series)

The former Dutch Caribbean islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are going through a complex and, in many ways, difficult phase of their development. Three factors characterize the present situation of the six islands. First, there is an extreme dependence on the Netherlands, and to a lesser degree on Venezuela and the United States; this dependence has economic and political as well as cultural aspects. Next, smallness of scale characterizes the Antilles-of-five and Aruba, which attained a separate status in 1986. Finally, heterogeneity may be said to typify the islands. The major contrasts between the Leeward and the Windward Islands, the traditionally strong Cura ao-Aruba antagonism, and the considerable social, ethnic, and cultural variations within each of the islands are cases in point. These two Caribbean mini-states, as yet partners in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, form a highly interesting subject for social science research. Moreover, since dependence, smallness, and heterogeneity tend to undermine the islands' resilience and the welfare of their populations, social science research can be expected to help Antillean policy makers in finding solutions to the problems facing them. This book, large parts of which were published in Dutch in 1984 by a joint Antillean-Dutch group of scholars, aims to survey and stimulate relevant social science research on the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. It consists of four chapters. The first two provide an introduction to the islands and to the actual state of research and research centres. The heart of the book is the third chapter, an extensive bibliographical essay. In the last chapter, some recommendations for future research are formulated. An extensive bibliography of some 550 entries and a list of relevant research centres complete the book.… (more)