Labour Rebellions of the francophone Caribbean: The 1930 Darboussier Strike in Guadeloupe

An extensive historiography of the labour rebellions in the British colonial Caribbean has been constructed by historians of the region who have long recognised that the phenomena represent a collective, watershed moment, and the beginning of the modern Caribbean. The 1930s were, however, tumultuous for the entire colonial Caribbean: English, French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking. Using the lens of the Guadeloupean experience of what began as a strike organised by labourers employed by Darboussier, this paper will discuss the labour rebellions in the French colonial Caribbean. It argues that the character of the revolts in the French-speaking Caribbean indicate that they should be integrated into the historiography in English of phenomena which affected the region profoundly for a decade.

Dr Kesewa John is an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Caribbean History at the Institute of the Americas. She is also Vice-Chair of the Society for Caribbean Studies, coordinator of the Translating Blackness project, a member of the Black British History Matters working group, the Caribbean film collective Cinemawon, and historical lead for Insightful Black History, a community history project.