Caribbean Journeys

“Caribbean Journeys is a refreshing look at immigration from an unusual point of view, and it is worth reading and using in courses not only on immigration but also on social networks, family studies, and cultural identity development.” - Silvia Domínguez, American Journal of Sociology

“[A] fascinating examination of family identity and migration. . . .” - Colleen A. Vasconcellos, Interventions

“Karen Fog Olwig presents . . . an engaging ethnography. . . . A well-organised book.” - Amber S. McIlwain, Population, Space and Place

“Karen Fog Olwig presents a profound ethnographic study of three transnational Caribbean families. . . . As she describes the nuanced and colourful lives of her participants, it becomes evident that Olwig’s study transcends the fundamental migration related experience. . . . Caribbean Journeys is a valuable contribution to migration literature.” - Terry-Ann Jones, Ethnic and Racial Studies

“Olwig is very much in her element in this rich and beautifully written book. Her considerable skills as an ethnographer and her superior understanding of the Caribbean and its migrating peoples have resulted in a remarkable study of transnational family networks, and of memory and myth.” - Mary Chamberlain, History Workshop Journal

“Olwig offers a fine study of the role of family networks in migration. . . . [T]he book is historically and theoretically well informed. . . . Highly recommended.” - K. Tölölyan, Choice

“The book is well written. . . . [I]n the ethnographic chapters the prose is crisp and the family narratives are enjoyable to read. Caribbean Journeys succeeds admirably in showing how a migrant’s network of family relations provides the central context for migratory moves and the nature of relations migrants maintain with their places of origin. Olwig offers us a level of complexity and understanding that goes beyond most accounts of Caribbean migration.” - George Gmelch, New West Indian Guide

“This study of three families’ respective histories of migration from the Caribbean holds many points of interest both for Caribbeanists and for those concerned more generally with migration studies. There is also something here for students of identity politics, both in the UK and in the USA. . . . [An] ethnography of extremely dense and rich transnational relations.” - Diane Austin-Broos, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

“Building on her previous work on historical consciousness, nationalism, and transnationalism, Karen Fog Olwig outlines a new direction for migration studies. By highlighting the ways that individuals’ personal understandings of their migratory experiences are connected to foundational family narratives, Olwig broadens understanding of belonging and diaspora.” - Deborah A. Thomas, author of Modern Blackness: Nationalism, Globalization, and the Politics of Culture in Jamaica

“In this nuanced, sensitive tracing of kinship across borders, Karen Fog Olwig reminds us that most often family ties are at the heart of why migration processes are transnational. An outstanding contribution to kinship, migration, and transnational studies, Caribbean Journeys is an excellent counterpoint to glib references to transnational or diasporic communities.” - Nina Glick Schiller, coauthor of Georges Woke Up Laughing: Long-Distance Nationalism and the Search for Home