Author publishes book on Vincentian heritage

“A highly original and unconventional study of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ past and present” is how one person described Philip Nanton’s latest book.

Nanton’s book, “Frontiers of the Caribbean”, was launched on Wednesday, January 3, at the Youlou Arts Centre in Villa.

The book, published in 2017, examines both historical and contemporary aspects of SVG life and argues that SVG is a good example (in the Caribbean) of a ‘frontier society’.

Nanton, speaking during the launch, stated that although many people consider that in the Caribbean region, the frontier has long been closed, many traces of frontier society remain, not only in SVG, but across the region.

He said that the frontier can be defined as located in the border relationship between a notion of civilization and one of wilderness.

Nanton said that while civilization is often discussed in the region, its counterpart wilderness, is often ignored and, for him, the modern frontier exists, for example, in the work of the Caribbean fisherman, the illegal squatters on land and the financial services industry in the region.

He said that all these examples contend with wilderness in different forms, noting many other examples, both in the tourist industry, as well as through biographies of individuals of SVG.

During the launch, Nanton read passages from his book for a small, but interested audience.

The book is available online from the publisher, Manchester University Press, or through Amazon and other online distributors.

The event was chaired by Camille Crichton and Mike Kirkwood.