INTRODUCTION

The Routledge Handbook of Caribbean Studies is a window onto Caribbean Studies. Like any other window onto a truly vast field, this volume gives a partial view. This is not a book to be read instead of engaging with the vast and diverse intellectual traditions coming out of the Caribbean region. Caribbean Studies has yielded a rich abundance of writing about its culture, history, arts, environment, climate and, above all, about the fascinating changes that the region constantly instigates and undergoes. No single collection either could or should stand in place of all this. The work gathered here consolidates, contends with and extends some of these rich debates and dialogues. Keep it on hand as you make your own way into and through this fascinating area of work.