The Department of History & Archaeology, The University of West Indies, Mona is pleased to announce that the 31st Annual Elsa Goveia Memorial Lecture will be delivered by UWI Emeritus Professor Patrick Bryan, CD. Professor Bryan’s lecture entitled “The Dominican Republic, 1870-1916: Socioeconomic and Ideological Aspects of „Free Labour‟ Plantations” will be delivered on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 at 5:30pm in the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts. This lecture will explore the rise of the “new-style” wage-based sugar plantation labour on the Dominican Republic during the period 1870-1916.

It focuses on the overall and widespread impact of the sugar enclave on Dominican land, labour, politics and international relations. The period examined is viewed as a transformative epoch in the history of the Republic; paving the way for US occupation (1916-24) and the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).

The annual Elsa Goveia Memorial Lecture honours the memory of the distinguished West Indian historian, Elsa Vesta Goveia (1925-1980) who is considered to be an influential figure in the development of West Indian history.