This collection of lectures was initiated by the presiding officers of the 10th Republican Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago and took place across the nation between September and December 2011. Drawing on years of research, political activism and mature reflection, eight of the nation’s leading thinkers deliberated on the issues of governance since independence on 31st August 1962.

Independence marked the end of colonial rule that began during the 16th century under the aegis of Spain and had continued when the British captured Trinidad. At the same time, Tobago had its own uneven political history, changing hands from one European power to another. Independence was an improvement on the colonial regime but many of the vestiges of the past have persisted.

However, during the last three decades, these issues have been increasingly addressed and the nation has now reached the point at which detailed information and analysis can be provided by its own national leaders of thought.

With no uniformity of views, and no attempt to harmonise the ideas put forward for change, Evolution of a Nation: Trinidad and Tobago at Fifty will hopefully form the basis of the nation’s ongoing discourse on constitutional reform.

• 228 x 152 mm
• 128 pages
• Paperback