Hostname: page-component-857557d7f7-ktsnh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-11-27T04:03:03.280Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Composition and Distribution of Ethnic Groups in Belize: Immigration and Emigration Patterns, 1980-1991

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2022

Louis A. Woods
Affiliation:
University of North Florida
Joseph M. Perry
Affiliation:
University of North Florida
Jeffrey W. Steagall
Affiliation:
University of North Florida
Save PDF (2 mb)View PDF[Opens in a new window]
Rights & Permissions[Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In the history of human migration, rarely has a situation arisen in which simultaneous voluntary immigration and emigration flows have dramatically transformed the ethnic composition of an independent country. Belize since its independence in 1981 provides an example of such an unusual combination of circumstances. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, anecdotal evidence began to accumulate suggesting that the country's population was undergoing profound structural changes that included realignment of its settlement patterns and alteration of its ethnic mix.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 by the University of Texas Press

Footnotes

∗

We wish to express our appreciation to the Division of Sponsored Research and Training at the University of North Florida for financial support for fieldwork in Belize and to the anonymousLARR reviewers for their helpful comments. Portions of earlier versions of this article were presented at several conferences: the Congreso Internacional de Geógrafos Latinamericanistas in Tegucigalpa, 3–6 January 1996; the conference of the Southern Economic Association in New Orleans, 18–21 November 1995; the Studies on Belize Conference at the Interdisciplinary Conference in Belize City, 24–27 October 1995; and the Interdisciplinary Conference on Belize in Jacksonville, Florida, 3–4 March 1995. We wish to thank the discussants for their informative comments. Any errors that remain are ours.

References

Alchian,Armen A.1950 “Uncertainty, Evolution, and Economic Theory.”Journal of Political Economy58, no.3:211–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alvarez,Yvette1988 “External Debt and Adjustment: The Case of Belize, 1980–1986.”Social and Economic Studies37, no.4:39–49.Google Scholar
Arthur,W. Brian.1990 “Positive Feedbacks in the Economy.”Scientific American262, no.2:92–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnett,Carla1982 “Commercial Banking in Belize, 1960–1980.”Social and Economic Studies31, no.4:136–70.Google Scholar
Bauer,Peter T.1965 “The Vicious Circle of Poverty.”Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, no.95:4–18.Google Scholar
Bauer,Peter T.1976Dissent on Development.Cambridge, Mass.:Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Bauer,Peter T.1984Reality and Rhetoric: Studies in the Economics of Development.Cambridge, Mass.:Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
BELIZE, CENTRAL PLANNING UNIT1982Belize: Abstract of Statistics, 1981.Belmopan:Statistical Office.Google Scholar
BELIZE, GOVERNMENT OF n.d. International Conference, “Refugees and Refugee-Affected Areas in Belize: Diagnosis and Strategies for Durable Solutions.” In-house document.Google Scholar
BELIZE, MINISTRY OF FINANCE n.d.1991 Population Census: Major Findings.Belmopan:Central Statistical Office.Google Scholar
Birdwell-Pheasant,Donna1985 “Language Change and Ethnic Identity in Eastern Corozal.”Belizean Studies13, nos. 5–6:1–12.Google Scholar
Bolland,O. Nigel1986Belize, a New Nation in Central America.Boulder, Colo.:Westview.Google Scholar
Bolland,O. Nigel1988Colonialism and Resistance in Belize: Essays in Historical Sociology.Benque Viejo del Carmen:Cubola.Google Scholar
BRITISH HONDURAS1967Report for the Years 1964–1965.Belize City:Printing Department.Google Scholar
Brownbridge,Martin, andMorgan,Murna1991 “Investment, Savings, and External Financing in Belize.”Social and Economic Studies40, no.4:59–97.Google Scholar
Camille,Michael1996 “Population and Ethnicity in Belize, 1861.”In PHILLIPS1996,45–63.Google Scholar
CARICOM n.d.1980–1981 Population Census of the Caribbean: Belize.Kingston:Statistical Institute of Jamaica.Google Scholar
Cayetano,Sebastian R. n.d.Garifuna History, Language, and Culture of Belize, Central America, and the Caribbean. Privately published, probably in Belize City.Google Scholar
Coser,Lewis1968 “Conflict: Social Aspects.” InEncyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited byStills,David L., 232–36.New York:Crowell, Collier, and Macmillan.Google Scholar
David,Paul A.1985 “Clio and the Economics of QWERTY.”American Economic Review75, no.2:332–37.Google Scholar
Davis,Susan E.1991 “Designing Nationalism: Belmopan, Belize.”Landscape, no.31:36–48.Google Scholar
Demko,George J., andWood,William B.1987 “International Refugees: A Geographical Perspective.”Journal of Geography86, no.5:225–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ergood,Bruce1996 “Can Nationalism Survive the Ethnic Revival? The Belizean Situation.”In PHILLIPS1996, 155–71.Google Scholar
Everitt,John C.1983 “Mennonites in Belize.”Journal of Cultural Geography, no.3:82–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everitt,John C.1984a “The Recent Migrations of Belize, Central America.”International Migration Review, no.18:319–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everitt,John C.1984b “Belmopan, Dream and Reality: A Study of theOther Planned Capital in Latin America.” Revista Geográfica, no.99:135–44.Google Scholar
Everitt,John C.1986 “The Growth and Development of Belize City.”Belizean Studies, no.14:2–45.Google Scholar
Gonzalez,Nancie L.1986 “Garifuna Traditions in Historical Perspective.”Belizean Studies14, no.2:11–24.Google Scholar
Goodman,Leo A., andKruskal,William H.1954 “Measures of Association for Cross-Classifications.”Journal of American Statistical Association, no.49:732–64.Google Scholar
Goodrich,Charles1936 “Internal Migration and Economic Opportunity.”Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, no.188:260–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant,Cedric H.1967 “The Cultural Factor in B.H. Politics.”World Quarterly3, no.4:53–55.Google Scholar
Hamilton,Nora, andChinchilla,Norma Stoltz1991 “Central American Migration: A Framework for Analysis.”LARR26, no.1:75–110.Google Scholar
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND1996International Financial Statistics Yearbook, 1995.Washington D.C.:IMF.Google Scholar
Jefferson,Mark1939 “The Law of the Primate City.”Geographical Review29, no.2:226–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judd,Karen1990 “Who Will Define Us? Creolization in Belize.” InFourth Annual Studies on Belize Conference, 29–41. SPEAReports no. 4.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Krugman,Paul1991 “History and Industry Location: The Case of the Manufacturing Belt.”American Economic Review81, no.2:80–83.Google Scholar
Krugman,Paul1995 “Urban Concentration: The Role of Increasing Returns and Transport Costs.” InProceedings of the World Bank Annual Conference on Development Economics, 241–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin,Paul1973 “The Mennonites of Belize.”National Studies, no.1:12–13.Google Scholar
Medina,Laurie K.1992 “Immigration, Labor, and Government Policy: Class Conflict and Alternative Paths toward Development.” InIndependence Ten Years After, 144–58. SPEAReports no. 8.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Moberg,Mark1992Citrus, Strategy, and Class: The Politics of Development in Southern Belize.Iowa City:University of Iowa Press.Google Scholar
Palacio,Joseph O.1988 “Illegal Aliens in Belize: Findings from the 1984 Amnesty.” InWhen Borders Don't Divide: Labor Migration and Refugee Movement in the Americas, edited byPessar,Patricia R., 156–77.New York:Center for Migration Studies.Google Scholar
Palacio,Joseph O.1993 “Social and Cultural Implications of Recent Demographic Changes in Belize.”Belizean Studies21, no.1:3–12.Google Scholar
Parvenu,M. Andre1986 “Refugee Migration and Settlement in Belize: The Valley of Peace Project.” M.A. thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison.Google Scholar
Perry,Joseph M., andWoods,Louis A.1990 “Production Enclaves, Import Substitution, and Economic Growth: Mennonite Settlements in Belize.” Paper presented to the Southern Economic Association, 18–20 Nov., New Orleans.Google Scholar
Perry,Joseph M., andWoods,Louis A.1991 “Changing Agricultural Patterns in Belize since 1958.” InFourth Annual Studies on Belize Conference, 80–112. SPEAReports no. 7.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Phillips,Michael D., ED.1996Belize: Selected Proceedings from the Second Interdisciplinary Conference.Lanham, Md.:University Press of America.Google Scholar
Pred,Allan R.1965 “Industrialization, Initial Advantage, and American Metropolitan Growth.”Geographical Review41, no.2:158–89.Google Scholar
Reynolds,Henry T.1977Analysis of Nominal Data.Beverly Hills:Sage.Google Scholar
Rodgers,Allan L.1952 “Industrial Inertia, a Major Factor in the Location of the Steel Industry in the United States.”Geographical Review42, no.1:56–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roser,Connie,Snyder,Leslie B., andChaffee,Steven H.1986 “Belize Release Me, Let Me Go: The Impact of the U.S. Media on Immigration in Belize.”Belizean Studies14, no.3:1–30.Google Scholar
Schackt,Jon1984 “The Tzuultak'a: Religious Lore and Cultural Processes among the Kekchi.”Belizean Studies12, no.5:16–29.Google Scholar
Scully,Gerald W.1988 “The Institutional Framework and Economic Development.”Journal of Political Economy96, no.3:652–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scully,Gerald W.1991 “Rights, Equity, and Economic Efficiency.”Public Choice, no.68:195–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scully,Gerald W.1995Multiculturalism and Economic Growth. Policy Report no. 196.Dallas, Tex.:National Center for Policy Analysis.Google Scholar
Shoman,Assad1987Party Politics in Belize, 1950–1986.Benque Viejo del Carmen:Cubola.Google Scholar
Shoman,Assad1994Thirteen Chapters of a History of Belize.Belize City:Angelus.Google Scholar
Siegel,Sidney1956Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences.New York:McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Stone,Michael C.1990 “Backbush Settlement on the Belmopan Periphery and the Challenge to Rural Development.” InThird Annual Studies on Belize Conference, 82–134. SPEAReports no. 6.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Stone,Michael C. n.d. “Report on the United Nations Development Programme Socioeconomic Survey of the Belmopan Periphery Settlements.” In-house document.Google Scholar
Taylor,Douglas M.1951The Black Carib of British Honduras. Viking Fund Publications in Anthropology, no. 17.New York:Wenner-Gran Foundation for Anthropological Research.Google Scholar
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, BUREAU OF THE CENSUS19931990 Census of Population, Social and Economic Characteristics: Metropolitan Areas, 1990. CP-2-1B. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE1980-1991Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.Washington, D.C.:U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Vernon,Dylan1988 “International Migration and Development in Belize: An Overview of Recent Movements.” M.A. thesis, Carleton University.Google Scholar
Vernon,Dylan1990 “Belize Exodus to the United States: For Better or for Worse.”Second Annual Studies on Belize Conference. SPEAReports no.4,6–28.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Waddell,David. A. G.1961British Honduras: A Historical and Contemporary Survey.London:Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Wilk,Richard R.1987 “The Kekchi and the Settlement of Toledo District.”Belizean Studies15, no.3:33–50.Google Scholar
Wilk,Richard R., andChapin,Mac1990Ethnic Minorities in Belize: Mopan, Kekchi, and Garifuna. SPEAReports no. 1.Belize City:SPEAR.Google Scholar
Woods,Louis A.,Perry,Joseph M., andSteagall,Jeffrey. W.1992 “Agroindustries in Belize: Their Role in Economic Development.” Paper presented to the Association of American Geographers, 18–22 Apr., San Diego, California.Google Scholar
Woods,Louis A.,Perry,Joseph M., andSteagall,Jeffrey. W.1996 “Recent Changes in Belize's Settlement Geography.” Paper presented to the Congreso Internacional de Geógrafos Latinoamericanistas, 3–6 Jan., Tegucigalpa, Honduras.Google Scholar
Woods,Louis A.,Perry,Joseph M.,Steagall,Jeffrey W., andCossman,Ronald E.1995 “International Migration and the Ruralization of Belize, 1970–1991.” Paper presented at the Second Interdisciplinary Conference on Belize, 3–6 Mar., Jacksonville, Florida.Google Scholar
Young,Alma H.1978 “Ethnic Politics in Belize.”Caribbean Review, no.7:38–42.Google Scholar
You have Access