The Society for Caribbean Studies aims to advance public education about the Caribbean and its diasporas and to encourage and disseminate research on all aspects of the Caribbean region and its peoples.
The main activity of the Society is its Annual Conference, which has been held every year since 1977. The Conference attracts participants from the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and the Caribbean, and from all disciplines within the broad field of Caribbean studies.
Held over three days, it provides an excellent opportunity for scholars and students to present and debate the latest research in the field, and to engage with a broad community of Caribbeanist scholars within a welcoming and informal environment. In addition to the wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary panels, other highlights of the conference include the annual Bridget Jones presentation given by an arts practitioner living and working in the Caribbean, keynote presentations by eminent scholars in the field, and the ever-popular rum punch reception. For more information on the annual conference, please click here.
The Society also sponsors a number of bursaries and prizes. The David Nicholls Memorial Prize, sponsored by the David Nicholls Memorial Trust, is awarded every two years to the best postgraduate paper delivered at the Society’s annual conference. The Bridget Jones Travel Award is awarded annually to an arts practitioner living and working in the Caribbean to present their work at the conference. Postgraduate bursaries to the conference are also available. For more information on bursaries and awards, click here.
The Society is a member of the UKCASA (United Kingdom Council of Area Studies Associations) and collaborates with all United Kingdom Centres of Caribbean Studies in encouraging interest in the region. Funds awarded to the Society by the British Academy JISLAC scheme have also facilitated a series of conferences and workshops run under the aegis of the Caribbean Research Seminar in the North.