Social Injustice, Migration and Colonial Entanglements

This chapter utilises the term “Trinbago Trumpism” to explore local attitudes towards Venezuelan migrants. This research builds on the work of Gul and Preston (2017, 2), who conceptualised Trumpism as a “contemporary form of colonial domination.” The author of this book chapter situates this phenomenon in Welsch’s (1999) notion of transculturality, which advocates the search for interconnections between or among cultures beyond borders. This approach historicises local attitudes within a transatlantic nexus. Notably, from the colonial past (Euro-America), cultural hegemonies continue to re-establish their influence within less powerful territories, for example, Trinidad and Tobago, in the contemporary era. Using an approach informed by digital anthropology and an anti-colonial theoretical standpoint, the data analysis includes nine Trinidad and Tobago newspapers’ online commentaries, participant observations and historical inquiries on colonial attitudes. This study also utilises recorded speeches from former US President Donald Trump and the current Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith C. Rowley. When triangulated, these data sources suggest that Trumpism and colonial attitudes influenced local anti-immigrant sentiment towards Venezuelan migrants from 2018 to 2021. This research reiterates the need to explore the lingering coloniality shaping our post-independent twenty-first century.