The Plural Society In The British West Indies By M G Smith

Michael Garfield Smith was an internationally distinguished anthropologist. He was also a poet of merit, but few people knew that or really understood the conflicts, personal and professional, that made him, in the opinion of many who knew him, appear arrogant and unapproachable. This account tries to show the whole man, and it is to date the only biography of M. G. Smith. A Man Divided is a brief account of M. G. Smith the man, "the talented, hardworking Jamaican and how he made his way, rather than of the academic performance of Professor M. G. Smith the internationally distinguished anthropologist". Preface

"M.G. Smith: Social Theory and Anthropology in the Caribbean and Beyond invites readers to explore the life and work of Michael Garfield Smith, one of the most prolific Caribbean thinkers of the post-war era. M.G., as he was known, is credited with having made significant contributions in the fields of anthropology, social theory, sociology and politics. This collection of essays, presented at the 2008 Caribbean Reasonings conference held in honour of M. G. Smith, is divided into three parts. In part one, Critical Contestations, both sides of the creole society debate are argued while the argument is also made for and against Smith s plural society theory. In part two, Anthropological Excursions, Smith s fieldwork observations and conclusions in both Africa and the Caribbean are also thoroughly examined, while part three, Beyond M. G. Smith, demonstrates the impact that M. G. Smith has had on scholarship coming out of the Caribbean, as his work is used as a point of departure in rethinking aspects of Caribbean social theory. "