The social relations of bereavement in the Caribbean.

The objectives of this article are to discuss the various types of behaviors associated with grief and bereavement, and to examine the relationships, consequences, and outcomes of bereavement practices among the various religious and ethnic groups in the English-speaking Caribbean Islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, and Barbados. The rituals associated with death and grief differs across cultures and is greatly influenced by religious beliefs and traditions. How these rituals are played out depend on the culture of origin and level of acculturation of the various groups into mainstream society. In the Caribbean region, expressions of grief represent religious and cultural traditions that may have a significant impact on social relations, particularly in multi-ethnic and multicultural societies. In the English-speaking Caribbean Islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, and Barbados, mourning follows the patterns of traditional religious practices which have remained consistent over time. While families and friends may offer social support before and after burial or cremation, the social aspects of bereavement may also have implications for inter-group relations. Insights into bereavement practices and what it holds for ethnic and religious groups in contemporary Caribbean are presented.

Alcoholism: genetic culpability or social irresponsibility, the challenge of innovative methods to determine final outcomes

... It is a fact that in the real world, the variance in alcohol consumption has to be shared among many factors, that it is better to adopt a holistic scientific approach to getting a firm grip on the study. In so doing we would be in a stronger position to understand the alcohol problem or even to beat it. Policy-makers believe that they have to spend a mountain of resources on alcoholism, since they do not know where the true (significant) variance lies. I feel nothing is further from the truth. The fact is that one can undertake specific measures to curb unneccessary overindulgence in alcohol consumption, by attempting to identify and analyze new variables or old ones that have not been sufficiently operationalized or explored. This book attempts to debate whether excessive alcohol consumption is a deliberate and voluntary pastime engaged in by persons as a hobby; or serves as a temporary relief from daily problems that have become too heavy a burden; or an uncontrollable substance descending upon unsuspecting at-risk individuals. I think it is the task of the sociologist to put this argument into perspective. I am putting the issue squarely: is it genetic culpability or social irresponsibility, shared at both the individual and governmental levels? (AU)