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Surviving home: womanhood, contentious intimacy & the trauma of home in Tobago, 1900–1960

ABSTRACT Studies into Afro-Caribbean families focus primarily on the prevalence of matrifocal households or the subordination that characterised women’s role in the home. While these themes are critical to understanding the gender dynamics within Afro-Caribbean households, the proliferation of this narrow view of women’s roles as mothers or subordinated wives has contributed to an underestimation of the complexities of women’s lives within the home. This traditional narrative of Afro-Caribbean women presents a portrait of the home, domesticity and economic security derived from dependence on a man which was unlikely for many Caribbean women. This paper captures the frequently trivialised trauma associated with women’s experiences within the private sphere. The paper contends that while the dominant literature positions Afro-Caribbean women as revered heads of their households, many Afro-Tobagonian women endured years of misery within the home due to a culture of domestic violence, financial hardship and the social acceptance of extramarital affairs. This knowledge offers us a peek into the interiority of women’s lives and complicates our understanding of Afro-Caribbean women’s experiences from 1900 to 1960. This work is undergirded by oral testimonies from Afro-Tobagonians, newspaper articles and official documents.