| Chapter 1: | Jamaican Governance and Citizen Politics in Context |
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that in certain circumstances, civil society may even “haemorrhage to death” (p. 14) and degenerate into civil war and looting—in short, lead to the destruction of normal daily life.
Although explosive protests and demonstrations in Jamaican civil society often capture significant grassroots interest and media headlines, there has been little corresponding curiosity among scholars. Where there has been scholarly interest (C. Charles, 2002; Dunn, 1999; Gray, 2004; Meeks, 2000; Miller, 1999; Munroe, 1999, 2000), the focus has principally been on the extent to which the structural power and conditions of the Jamaican state as well as the perceived (under)performance of elected political actors propel (and perhaps justify) popular citizen action. Although this is an essential discussion that is crucial to understanding governance in Jamaica, existing negative currents in popular protest in Jamaica (as elsewhere) suggest that it is necessary to also account for the nature and brand of popular citizen activism and the extent to which it contributes to the stock of civility that is required for a properly and normatively constituted civil society. It is upon this basis that this book is rendered significant.
I begin by making this qualification: Popular protest is no stranger to West Indian society. It is rooted in a long-standing history of resistance to slavery and colonialism. Jamaica, the largest island in the English-speaking Caribbean, was the seat of much of this resistance. Indeed, popular protest has been the dominant mode of struggle in the evolution of modern Jamaica and in the search for change in this postcolonial society. Today, the country still lays claim to intense and frequent episodes of popular citizen mobilizations, abetted by a fairly democratic tradition where freedom of expression and assembly have strong bases. In 2005 alone, there were some 236 roadblock demonstrations on record (Jamaica Constabulary Force, 2005). Popular protest is, in significant respects, liberatory. It represents triumph, particularly for a significant subaltern population who have declared their sociopolitical power and ascending autonomy (cf. C. Charles, 2002; Gray, 2004; Meeks, 1996, 2000; Price, 2004). More importantly, protest is a powerful and immediate means by which the Jamaican people can convey their growing disenchantment