Canadian Banks and Imperialism in the English-Speaking Caribbean

Authors

Tamanisha J. John, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

International Relations

First Advisor's Name

Dr. Ronald W. Cox

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Dr. John G. Oates

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Dr. Julie Jin Zeng

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Dr. Percy Hintzen

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Dr, Pablo Toral

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee member

Keywords

imperialism, banking, Canada, finance, Caribbean, development, neoiberalism

Date of Defense

6-4-2021

Abstract

Canadian banks have been important components of an imperialist system since at least the 19^th century. However, their long and rich history of operating as purely exploitative entities in the English-speaking Caribbean region is often overlooked— leading to many incomplete and conflicting narratives about Canada’s role within the global system. I argue that Canada is an imperial actor that exerts agency in supporting a Canadian banking oligopoly both within Canada and in the English-speaking Caribbean. Insufficient attention is given to these Canadian banks, especially considering the power they have wielded in the Caribbean over the centuries. By analyzing the relationship between Canadian banks and the Caribbean, this project helps compensate for a lack of attention given to the Caribbean region in international relations scholarship. The Caribbean region once informed the global political economy via the production of sugar using enslaved labor. In the present, Caribbean states provide incentives to foreign investors that maintain relationships of exploitation by foreign capital. My dissertation looks at how Canadian banks, in the context of global capitalism and structures of corporate power, have exploited their advantageous position in the Caribbean from the time of British colonialism to the present.

Identifier

FIDC010299

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3460-9298

Recommended Citation

John, Tamanisha J., "Canadian Banks and Imperialism in the English-Speaking Caribbean" (2021). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4804.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4804