An Analysis Of British Cultural Influence In The Bahamas Since1973

From1756-1945Britain was regarded as one of the largest and most influentialworld powers. Its rise to near world domination was attributed to its superior navalfleet and its economic expertise but fell due to issues relating from costly overexpansion of its colonies. Although, The Bahamas and Britain have not had atumultuous past, relations between the two differing countries have not always beenseamless. With the granting of independence from Britain in1973, the Bahamasjoined the Commonwealth of Nations, successor to the British Empire which hasproven economically and socially viable for both parties. Nonetheless, globalizationand the advent of the internet has made nation states more interdependent than ever,creating a melting pot of beliefs and traditions which has been detrimental to manyindigenous cultures.Seeing that one-third of the world’s population was once under British rule,Britain still has influence in these countries however with globalization andinclination towards Americanization, Britain has lost its cultural influence in manycountries. In contrast, Britain will have a difficult time in the Bahamas in exerting itscultural diplomacy tactics since the Bahamas is so close geographically and culturallyto the US. Although the Bahamas was once a British colony, English culture andsocial norms are deteriorating. Currently, several aspects of British cultural influenceexist in food, education, sports and etiquette. Nevertheless, with the growth of a newgeneration, the Bahamas is drifting further and further from its British roots.Substantially, England is aware of this trend and has decided to focus its strength onyouth and ensuring British norms continue to thrive. Although such an organization isalready in place that being the British Council, countries that were once colonized byBritain must be approached differently. Noticeably, higher education has been seen asBritain’s most influential soft power tactic, yet the Bahamas receives one of the leastamount of scholarship grants. The Bahamas and Caribbean nations in general are aspecial case; different from African countries because there was no indigenous culturethat was allowed to survive. Inherently even after the independence of many states,individual countries did not shy away from their British roots because they didn’tknow any other way to govern their country, other than by British standards. Findings from the empirical data received (surveys targeting young professionals)showed that young Bahamians have not completely forgotten British culture yet theydo not feel connected or entitled to its colonial past. This paper is intended to provideinsight into the ways in which British influence has permeated the education system,youth programs and cultural and social norms of Bahamians. While some aspects andeffects from colonization still exist, cultural diplomacy is still needed to influence andcoerce the youth.Cultural diplomacy being an intricate part of public diplomacy has been used bymany governments to enhance understanding of one’s culture. In a time where manyBahamians are not choosing to go to the UK for tertiary education or vacation becauseof cost and visa restrictions, Britain’s soft power is being overlooked. Most recentlywith the use of soft power to gain influence in world arenas, Britain is now payingmore attention to the Commonwealth and hence has called it the soft power networkof the21st century. For this reason the advantages and benefits of cultural diplomacyhave been studied, which can be both advantageous to the Bahamas and Britain.