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Reproducing the British Caribbean: Sex, Gender, and Population Politics after Slavery

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Reproducing the British Caribbean: Sex, Gender, and Population Politics after Slavery

Reproducing the British Caribbean: Sex, Gender, and Population Politics after Slavery

Invested in the success of the "great experiment" of slave emancipation, colonial officials developed new social welfare and health policies. Concerns about the health and size of ex-slave populations were expressed throughout the colonial world during this period. In the Caribbean, an emergent black middle class, rapidly increasing immigration, and new attitudes toward medicine and society were crucial factors. While hemispheric and diasporic trends influenced the new policies, De Barros shows that local physicians, philanthropists, midwives, and the impoverished mothers who were the targets of this official concern helped shape and implement efforts to ensure the health and reproduction of Caribbean populations in the decades before independence.

About the Author

Juanita De Barros is a professor of History at McMaster University and former president of the Canadian Association of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

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