Twenty-five years ago, the Department of History recognized the importance of social history to the development of Jamaica. In acknowledgement of the validity of this need and in keeping with the University’s commitment to respond to the needs of the region, the Department established the Social History Project (SHP) to collect and preserve, using the tools of oral history and other forms of documentation, articles relating to Jamaica’s social history since emancipation. The Project also facilitates the dissemination of research findings, mainly through publications and the hosting of symposia.

The success of the Social History Project is evident from its extensive work, which includes the acquisition of invaluable copies of important correspondence between Governors of Jamaica and the Secretary of State for the Colonies in the period after 1834 and, notably, a copy of the Thomas Thistlewood diaries. Additionally, the SHP produced an index to material in thirty Jamaican periodicals for the period 1890 to 1980 and sponsored oral research on occupations in 20th Century Jamaica – the tapes and transcripts of which are housed at the UWI Library.

Consistent with its mandate of disseminating research findings, the SHP boasts an impressive record of publications that investigate critical issues, such as poverty/living conditions; the Labour Rebellion; the nation’s adjustments to Emancipation; and crime & punishment, which had a significant historic impact on Jamaica and other areas of the Caribbean. Cognizant of its responsibility for educating the region’s young, the SHP is currently engaged in preparing Lectures in CAPE History for publication in the immediate future.

With this enviable record of achievement, the Social History Project has a past that it can reflect on with pride. It is poised for even greater success once it commences the thrust to expand its work into the wider community. The proposed collaboration with well-known national institutions and the plans to stage touring exhibitions showcasing various aspects of Jamaican social/cultural history are laudable initiatives. They will undoubtedly enhance Jamaica’s awareness of the events and circumstances that have shaped the nation’s heritage.

The UWI, Mona Campus joins with the Department of History and Archaeology in celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Social History Project.