The Caribbean Studies Association (CSA), under the chairmanship of president Okama Ekpe Brook, hosts its 2024 annual conference in Saint Lucia next week under the theme ‘Caribbean Development Sustainability: The Convergence of Technology, People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity & Partnerships.
The conference, which is the CSA’s 48th and taking place in its 50th year, starts Monday, June 3 and continues until June 7, 2024 at the Harbour Club in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet.
The CSA describes itself as “a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of Caribbean studies from a multidisciplinary and multicultural perspective.”
Established in 1974 by 300 Caribbean nationalists, the CSA now boasts over 1,100 members from around the world.
This year’s 50th anniversary conference continues the annual gathering of CSA members worldwide to discuss, exchange, and promote academic scholarship on Caribbean topics and focuses on Sustainable Development in the Caribbean.
Amid global challenges that pose serious threats to the Caribbean region, the conference aims to strengthen policy dialogues, promote collaboration and address regional issues.
The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), in partnership with the UWI Global Campus Saint Lucia, will co-host some of the conference’s key activities.
On Monday (June 3), the emphasis will be on Development Cooperation in the Caribbean, with the Opening Ceremony to hear a Keynote Address by Dr. June Soomer, whose extensive academic background includes being the first woman to earn a doctorate in history at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus in Barbados and is now the Chair of the UWI Global Campus (formerly Open Campus).