Constitutionalism and Colonial Legacies in the Caribbean

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers constitutionalism as colonial legacies across the British, Dutch, and French Caribbean. The Caribbean represents a fascinating area for the study of constitutionalism in view of contests over legal power and colonial legal inheritances following colonial conquest. The main argument of this chapter is that colonial legacies in terms of constitutionalism did and still do matter, but these distinct legacies are characterized by certain commonalities, in terms of the plurality of constitutional interpretations about colonial government within each colonial legacy, and by the broad similarity of the social and economic context of colonial rule in the Caribbean. On their own and comparatively, colonial legacies appear rather flexible, given functional pressures and generic tensions and contradictions. A conclusion highlighting internal varieties and comparative similarities also reflects the varied state of different colonial legacies in the contemporary Caribbean.