The UWI Press hosts the launch of two books by UWI academics, Dr. Matthew Smith and Dr. Kathleen Monteith on Friday, November 27, 2009 at 6 pm at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge and Conference Centre.

Dr. Smith’s book titled, “Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957” emphasizes the key role that radical groups, particularly Marxists and black nationalists, played in shaping contemporary Haitian history especially during the post US occupation period. These movements transformed Haiti's political culture, widened political discourse, and presented several ideological alternatives for the nation's future. The book affords readers an understanding of Haitian politics and issues faced by a recently independent state. It also provides lessons for other Caribbean nations.

The book, “Depression to Decolonization: Barclays Bank (DCO), 1926-1962,” by Dr. Kathleen Monteith, Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, UWI, Mona is the first major academic business history of a commercial bank’s operations in the West Indies. The book provides a detailed examination of the bank’s performance during the Depression years, as well as during the period of economic expansion in the region after 1940. The discussion covers the bank’s products and services, the competitive challenges it faced from the Canadian banks, the regulatory environment in which it operated, its recruitment practices and organizational structure. Monteith’s work provides for a better understanding of the history of the commercial banking activity in the region during this period.

The university community is invited.