Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture (Sport, Society, and Politics)

Of the global community of cricketers, the West Indians are, arguably, the most well-known and feared. This book shows how this tradition of cricketing excellence and leadership emerged, and how it contributed to the rise of West Indian nationalism and independence. The essayists argue that cricket mirrors the anti-colonial tensions and ideological and social conflicts over race and class that have shaped West Indian society. In consequence, it has helped promote the region's democratic ethos and fragmented nationalism. "Liberation Cricket" connects and embraces the diversity of West Indian social and political life, and suggests the relevance of cricket research for an understanding of the making of the modern West Indies.