This is the first scholarly biography of Edward Philip George Seaga, retired prime
minister of Jamaica (1980–1989) and former leader of the Jamaica Labour Party
(1974–2005). Patrick Bryan examines Seaga in light of the twentieth-century
history of Jamaica, which experienced the challenges of race, colour, economic
dependence, the transition from the British colonial period to independence in
1962, and the challenges of creating a Jamaican national state and separate cultural
identity. Although the study focuses on Edward Seaga, the historical forces that
shaped Jamaica’s history are central, in particular the way in which he confronted
these forces. In placing Seaga in historical perspective, this work strikes a seasoned
and balanced analysis of the man and is neither an apologia nor iconoclastic. Based
on a variety of primary sources, government records, interviews and secondary
sources, the author paints a compelling portrait of a complex man, a contradictory
mixture of idealism and pragmatism, but, above all, a Jamaican nationalist who
had a profound impact on Jamaican politics, tourism, culture and finance.
“There is, perhaps, no other politician surrounded by as many myths, half-truths
and falsehoods in Jamaican politics as Edward Seaga. Bryan carefully unearths the
records to remind us collectively of Seaga’s enormous contribution in shaping
contemporary Jamaica.”
– Brian Meeks, Professor of Social and Political Change and Director of the Centre for
Caribbean Thought, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Patrick E. Bryan is the Douglas Hall Professor of History, University of the West
Indies, Jamaica. His publications include The Haitian Revolution and Its Effects;
Philanthropy and Social Welfare in Jamaica; The Jamaican People, 1880–1902;
Jamaica: The Aviation Story; The Legacy of a Goldsmith: A History of Wolmer’s
Schools; Inside Out and Outside In: Factors in the Creation of Contemporary Jamaica.
He is also the co-editor (with Rupert Lewis) of Marcus Garvey: His Work and
Impact and (with Karl Watson) of Not for Wages: Eyewitness Summaries of the 1938
Labour Rebellion in Jamaica.
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Edward Seaga and the Challenges of Modern Jamaica
