/library/oar/handle/123456789/3471 2025-10-31T16:11:40Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140704 Title: United States-Caribbean trade relations : geopolitical challenges, economic dynamics and policy pathways Authors: Dookeran, Winston; Valenciano, Andres; Perroti, Daniel E. Abstract: The U.S.-Caribbean relationship sits at a crossroads. As power shifts to a multipolar world, Caribbean states are moving from dependency to strategic multi-alignment to protect autonomy and widen partnerships. Despite decades of trade preferences, economies remain narrow and vulnerable to shocks; COVID-19 has accelerated the pivot. We offer a six-pillar framework - export diversification, regional integration, and institutional strengthening among them - to recalibrate ties while honouring sovereignty. The analysis shows how small states can reshape partnerships for stability and shared prosperity, and how renewed U.S.–Caribbean cooperation can build regional resilience in an interdependent era. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140689 Title: Recent trends in the United States and Caribbean trade relations Authors: Dookeran, Winston; Valenciano, Andres; Perrotti, Daniel E. Abstract: This paper examines recent trends in United States-Caribbean trade relations (2021–2024), highlighting persistent structural asymmetries and limited diversification. Goods exchanges remain concentrated in energy, transportation, and food, while services are dominated by tourism, leaving the region vulnerable to external shocks. Using concentration measures, the study confirms high dependence on a narrow range of products and partners. While identifying emerging opportunities in digital services, renewable energy, and the blue economy, it underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to foster resilience. A companion paper by the same authors complements this analysis by outlining policy proposals to address these vulnerabilities. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140548 Title: Editorial introduction : studies in memory of Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024) Authors: Neumann, Iver B. Abstract: This is the introduction to a special section in SST journal, celebrating the work of Norwegian anthropologist and small-state researcher Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024). It first offers a bibliographical sketch of his intellectual life. It then presents the two core ideas of his oeuvre. Eriksen, a specialist on ethnicity in modern urban settings, held that ethnic pluralism could be integrative given a firm political framework. This idea was offered in contradistinction to two more widespread views: a nationalist view and a multiculturalist view. He also held that globalization, which should be celebrated for bringing individuals and groups together, also exerts heavy pressure on people’s time resources. Finally, this introduction presents the other contributions to this special section. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140547 Title: Staying with the tide : a story of climate (im)mobility in Fiji Authors: Panettiere, Giulio Petix; Eriksen, Thomas Hylland Abstract: Coastal communities in Small Island Developing States are facing relocation due to the damage caused by sea level rise. Salawai (a pseudonym) is a small coastal community in Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands, that experiences issues in relocating due to traditional obligations people have towards sacred sites in their village. Due to the salinisation of the soil, crops do not grow anymore and the reef resources are depleting and will not sustain the community's needs without proper management. With little support from the government and stakeholders, the village is rebuilding its knowledge and proposing a coping strategy. Cultural attachment to the village site remains strong; but many fear the impacts of climate change and are considering moving out, leaving behind ancestral connections and traditional knowledge. Based on current ethnographic fieldwork in Fiji among coastal communities, this paper looks at how relocating communities engage creatively with the ocean as the place in which the problem lies next to the solution. It also reflects on how island peoples can learn from each other in times of climate change and transformation. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z