Hey everyone,

So — after an extended absence during which I was frantically pounding out my masters paper, Dr. Tomato is back on track!  Well — sorta.  Below the fold a synopsis of new research to date!  Including how to make a trip to the Caribbean as depressing as humanly possible.

So.  For those of you who are “friends” with me on the book of face (aka “narcissist’s paradise”) know that I have relocated to Eugene, OR for an Anthropology PhD.  Along the way I conducted some fieldwork in Barbados on the island’s status as a sugar plantation/slave colony.  Particular emphasis was placed on the role Bussa, an enigmatic former slave, plays in the popular consciousness and “historic memory” of Bajans.  It was, in a word, taxing.  While many “Bajan’s on the street” do have opinions regarding Bussa — and other national figures/heroes — imperial narratives of history do seem to hold a high degree of sway.  This is perhaps inevitable when most of your revenue is drawn from tourism.  One doesn’t exactly want to alienate the people pumping dollars, pounds and euros into one’s economy.

There is of course much more that could be said.  There were other memorials and statues I investigated and meditated upon.  However, I’m currently typing up this response on a computer in the grad lounge — my laptop is currently being repaired; leave it to me to have it break down at the least opportune time — fifteen minutes before the next class I have to teach, so I will have to leave off with . . . “more to come!”