The Visible Crown: Queen Elizabeth II and the Caribbean, 1952 to the present.
Lead Research Organisation:
City, University of London
Department Name: School of Arts
Abstract
Elizabeth II is head of state in nine independent Caribbean nations. The survival of the British monarchy in the region is remarkable, but there has been no sustained, comparative investigation into this continuity. This is the first study to place the political, legal and constitutional function of the Crown alongside cultural and popular perceptions of Elizabeth in each of her Caribbean 'realms'. When Elizabeth visits St Lucia, how is the 'Queen of St Lucia' received? What would a history of Elizabeth, Queen of Jamaica reveal? The project begins in 1952, with the accession of Elizabeth II, and ends at the present day. It moves from decolonisation and the achievement of independence, to constitutional reform efforts and current debates on the future of the Crown in the Caribbean. It thinks about monarchy as an institution, and about the embodiment of that institution in the person of Elizabeth. As such, the project seeks to better explain the durability of monarchy in the Caribbean since the end of empire. As the Queen's 68-year reign draws to a close, this timely project engages with important questions about the legacy of her reign, the relationship between Britain and its former Caribbean colonies - a relationship that has come under intense scrutiny following the Windrush scandal - and the future of the Crown elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
The project, uniquely, addresses all nine Caribbean 'realms': Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. It also considers the three countries that opted to become republics: Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. The project brings together political historians, political scientists, cultural historians, and oral history practitioners. The political strand examines the Crown as a legal and constitutional entity, exploring how monarchy was conceptualised, and the role the Queen herself may have played, during critical episodes over the last 70 years. The cultural strand focusses on the visibility and performance of monarchy, emphasising the person of Elizabeth II. It investigates how the Queen has been represented: in portraiture, pageantry and regional literature. It highlights the tradition of the royal tour and will collate material related to every royal visit made to the Caribbean realms since 1952. Perceptions of the most recent visits will be captured through social media analysis, such as the #notmyprince thread in response to Prince Harry's 2016 tour. Finally, the project will generate original and highly valuable research data through a first-ever region-wide survey on popular attitudes to the Queen and monarchy, and targeted interviews with governors general, politicians, Palace officials, civil servants and a representative cross-section of the general public from across the region.
Through excavating such a wide evidence base, the project will advance knowledge of the Queen and intervene in debates about the history and current state of monarchy in the Caribbean, and its possible futures. It will test assumptions about the survival of monarchy in the region - such as the idea that republicanism will inevitably prevail - and will unpack the complex nature of support and opposition. The project is distinctive for balancing hitherto dominant Palace and Whitehall-oriented accounts with overlooked Caribbean perspectives and sources. It departs from many studies of modern monarchy by bringing a long historical view to its analysis of queenship, empire and royal traditions. Academic and public audiences will be reached through the project's published outputs and dissemination activities organised with our project partners. These include policy briefings at Whitehall; training history teachers in collaboration with the Historical Association; public memory-sharing days; an exhibition; and a television documentary.
The project, uniquely, addresses all nine Caribbean 'realms': Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. It also considers the three countries that opted to become republics: Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. The project brings together political historians, political scientists, cultural historians, and oral history practitioners. The political strand examines the Crown as a legal and constitutional entity, exploring how monarchy was conceptualised, and the role the Queen herself may have played, during critical episodes over the last 70 years. The cultural strand focusses on the visibility and performance of monarchy, emphasising the person of Elizabeth II. It investigates how the Queen has been represented: in portraiture, pageantry and regional literature. It highlights the tradition of the royal tour and will collate material related to every royal visit made to the Caribbean realms since 1952. Perceptions of the most recent visits will be captured through social media analysis, such as the #notmyprince thread in response to Prince Harry's 2016 tour. Finally, the project will generate original and highly valuable research data through a first-ever region-wide survey on popular attitudes to the Queen and monarchy, and targeted interviews with governors general, politicians, Palace officials, civil servants and a representative cross-section of the general public from across the region.
Through excavating such a wide evidence base, the project will advance knowledge of the Queen and intervene in debates about the history and current state of monarchy in the Caribbean, and its possible futures. It will test assumptions about the survival of monarchy in the region - such as the idea that republicanism will inevitably prevail - and will unpack the complex nature of support and opposition. The project is distinctive for balancing hitherto dominant Palace and Whitehall-oriented accounts with overlooked Caribbean perspectives and sources. It departs from many studies of modern monarchy by bringing a long historical view to its analysis of queenship, empire and royal traditions. Academic and public audiences will be reached through the project's published outputs and dissemination activities organised with our project partners. These include policy briefings at Whitehall; training history teachers in collaboration with the Historical Association; public memory-sharing days; an exhibition; and a television documentary.