"Colón Man a Come": Mythographies of Panamá Canal MigrationTo date, there has been no literary examination of the Col-n Man even though he recurs in 19th and 20th century Anglophone and Francophone Caribbean Literatures. Named for PanamO's Caribbean port city, the Col-n Man has been the subject of historical, sociological, and geographical scholarship. He, however, has escaped the domain of literary investigation until now. Author Rhonda Frederick brings us the first ever book-length study of the literary representations of the Col-n Man. Fictive accounts of PanamO migration draw on precisely what has been little documented or not at all. In other words, this region's literature and songs, as well as Col-n Men's recollections, complicate existing studies. These first person accounts and creative narratives-in the form of song, stories, literature, etc.-of isthmian migration suggest that fictive renditions of canal work and workers represent Col-n Men's undocumented, unknown, and/or ignored realities. 'Col-n Man a Come: ' Mythographies of PanamO Canal Migration examines several works of fiction: George Lamming's In the Castle of My Skin, Michael Thelwell's The Harder They Come, Eric Walrond's Tropic Death, Claude McKay's Banana Bottom and Maryse Conde's Tree of Life. And, perhaps most significantly, this book relies on the personal narratives and songs of Col-n Men to support the forgotten, lost, ignored and yet imaginable truths of PanamO Canal migration |
Common terms and phrases
African Albert Anglophone Caribbean Bajan Banana Bottom Barbadian Barbados Bita Bita's canal authorities canal construction canal workers Canal Zone Caribbean laborers Caribbean migration Caribbean workers characterization Claude McKay Coco Coco's Colón Men Colón Men's colonial color context creative critique cultural death describes economic English Eric Walrond experiences fiction fictive French gender genres George Lamming gration Guadeloupe Haiti ibid identity imaginable truths interpretation isthmian migration isthmus Ivan Ivan's Jamaica Jamaica Journal Kingston Lamming's LICCW Lisser literature lives Man's Maryse Condé masculinity McCullough 1977 McKay McKay's mythographies narrator Nattie Nattie's North American novel obeah official Olive Senior Pa's Panama Canal Panama Gold Panamá Money Panamanian perspective Philip McDonald political Poyah protagonist racial railroad realities relationship Rhygin says Slime social song story Susan Proudleigh Tack Tally Thelwell Thomas-Hope tion traditional U.S. canal University Press village Walrond West Indian West Indies women writers York