Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Covid-19 and the Caribbean, Volume 1 - The State, Economy and Health

Caribbean countries have had to navigate multiple crises, which have tested their collective resolve through time. In this regard, the region's landscape has been shaped by an interplay of vulnerability and resilience which has brought to the fore possibilities and contradictions. It is within this context that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic must be considered. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Covid-19 and the Caribbean, Volume 1: The State, Economy and Health provides a comprehensive, multi- and interdisciplinary assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Caribbean as the site of enquiry. The edited collection mobilises critical perspectives brought to bear on research produced within and beyond the boundaries and boundedness of conventional academic disciplinary divides, in response to the multi-dimensional crises of our time. The culmination of this collection offers a reimagining of our Caribbean contemporary futures in the hope of finding home-grown solutions, avenues and possibilities. This volume is divided into five (5) parts consisting of twenty-four (24) chapters and weaves together thematic strands that focus on governance, the macro and micro aspects of the economy, tourism and hospitality, business management and public health policy.  Together, the chapters in this volume tell the story of the extent and effects of Caribbean governments' response to the pandemic and the ways in which industries and organisations have had to pivot to survive and transform their management and operational practices.


Sherma Roberts is Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Director (Ag.) School for Graduate Studies and Research at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. She previously held the position of Deputy Dean Research in the Faculty of Social Sciences and was honoured to serve as the first Chairman of the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited 2017-2022. Sherma has co-edited 4 books, is the lead author of Contemporary Caribbean Tourism: Concepts and Cases and researches  and publishes in the area of sustainable tourism, community participation,  island tourism and tourism entrepreneurship.

Halimah A. F. DeShong is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies: Nita Barrow Unit, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. Her research  focuses on gendered violence, feminist methodologies, anti-colonial feminisms, and the analysis of talk and text. She is co-editor of Methodologies in Caribbean Research on Gender & Sexuality (Ian Randle Publishers 2021). She served at the Ambassadorial level at the United Nations, and has created policy and curriculum for Caribbean governments on gendered violence.

Wendy C. Grenade is a Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, St. George's University, Grenada.  She is a political scientist who specializes in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Professor Grenade critically interrogates topics such as regionalism, democracy, governance and security.  Her publications include over twenty peer-reviewed articles and an edited volume - The Grenada Revolution: Reflections and Lessons, which was published by the University Press of Mississippi in 2015.

Dwayne Devonish is Professor of Management and Organisational Behaviour in the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.  His main research interests include organisational behaviour and psychology, work-related stress, health and wellness, human resource management, and strategic planning. In 2019, Professor Devonish was the lead author of the National Workplace Wellness Policy for Barbados which sought to inform the practice of workplace wellness programming across organisations.