Forbes Burnham

The Life and Times of the Comrade Leader

By Linden F. Lewis

SERIES: Critical Caribbean Studies

Rutgers University Press

It is virtually impossible to understand the history of modern Guyana without understanding the role played by Forbes Burnham. As premier of British Guiana, he led the country to independence in 1966 and spent two decades as its head of state until his death in 1985. An intensely charismatic politician, Burnham helped steer a new course for the former colony, but he was also a quintessential strongman leader, venerated by some of his citizens yet feared and despised by others.

Forbes Burnham: The Life and Times of the Comrade Leader is the first political biography of this complex and influential figure. It charts how the political party he founded, the People’s National Congress, combined nationalist rhetoric, socialist policies, and Pan-Africanist philosophies. It also explores how, in a country already deeply divided between the descendants of African slaves and Indian indentured servants, Burnham consolidated political power by intensifying ethnic polarizations. Drawing from historical archives as well as new interviews with the people who knew Burnham best, sociologist Linden F. Lewis examines how his dictatorial tendencies coexisted with his progressive convictions. Forbes Burnham is a compelling study of the nature of postcolonial leadership and its pitfalls.

One of the most informative and insightful books on the formative years of the Guyanese nation and its charismatic founder leader Forbes Burnham who fundamentally transformed his country, punched way above his weight as a Caribbean and world leader, and was seen by many as both hero and villain. A must read! George K. Danns, coauthor of Dynamics of Caribbean Diaspora Engagement: People, Policy, Practice

'Forbes Burnham: The Life and Times of the Comrade Leader, written by Linden Lewis, is an exceptional work that masterfully portrays the life of its subject with extraordinary precision and depth. Lewis's meticulous research and keen attention to detail have culminated in a book that not only illuminates Burnham's influence and legacy but also presents fresh perspectives on his character and political actions. Without any reservation, I wholeheartedly endorse this remarkable work and strongly recommend it to all.'
Nigel Westmaas, coauthor of Guyanese Periodicals

A compelling account of the politics and leadership of Guyana’s most controversial political leader. This is more than a biography; Lewis paints a portrait that gives the reader a deeper understanding of the motions of an important slice of the post-colonial politics of the Anglophone Caribbean.' David Hinds, associate professor of Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University

LINDEN F. LEWIS is a professor emeritus of sociology at Bucknell University. Coauthor of the book Caribbean Masala: Indian Identity in Guyana and Trinidad, he has also edited the collections Color, Hair and Bone: Race in the Twenty-First Century, The Culture of Gender and Sexuality in the Caribbean, and Caribbean Sovereignty, Development and Democracy in an Age of Globalization.

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

1 FORBES BURNHAM
The Making of a Postcolonial Caribbean Leader

2 BRITISH GUIANA
The Genesis of the Postcolonial Struggle

3 IMPERIAL OBSTRUCTION AND BURNHAM’S DESIGN ON POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

4 THE CONSOLIDATION OF POWER

5 FRONTIERS OF DYSTOPIA AND THE CRISIS OF CHARISMA

6 THE DEMISE OF THE COMRADE LEADER

7 AN AMBIVALENT LEGACY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTES
BIBLIOGRPAHY
INDEX
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