Creole Hegemony in Caribbean Societies: The Case of S uriname

Evaluating the representation of the East Indian communities in the national political identity of Caribbean countries, and building on the discussion waged in G uyana and especially T rinidad and T obago, this article elaborates on the example of S uriname. It argues that the Surinamese example differs from that of other countries in the region with respect to the ample opportunity the Indo‐Surinamese community had to change their exclusion from political representation. A second distinguishing feature of S uriname is the uncontested Creole preponderance. Theoretically, the article differentiates the Gramscian concept of hegemony into contested, resisted, and accepted hegemony in order to capture the relations between the Indian communities and the national political identity. The article argues that part of the difference between these Caribbean countries, and more specifically, part of the self‐restraint on the political agency of the Indian community in S uriname, can be attributed to these countries' ideologies and specific demographic and political constellations.