We deal here with conceptualizing mental retardation transculturally and with its problems—with the way a modest transcultural library study of mental retardation might be done within a limited geographical area. Finally, because finding useful references is difficult and time-consuming, an archival appendix gives a data base that might serve as a starting point for future, more ambitious studies. While readers may not agree with the conclusions we draw from the data, the accessibility of our data archive should make informed discussion easier.
As an independent state since 1973, the Bahamas continues in its struggle to achieve social stability in a rapidly changing global economy. Social workers are called upon to become nation-builders, utilizing their knowledge and skills to help individuals adjust to their social environment. While Bahamian social work has historically focused on the function of remediation, steps are currently underway to strengthen its role in the areas of development and prevention.
In a nation where more than 85% of its population of 255,000 is of African descent, the recently formed Commonwealth of the Bahamas struggles to establish its cultural identity, political power, and economic strength (McAfee, 1991, pp. 201-205). After more than 300 years of British rule, the country's affluent White power brokers, known as "The Bay Street Boys," relinquished formal political control to the Black Bahamian-led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in 1973. Since assuming self-government, the nation seeks to maintain its place as one of the most politically stable, if not most complex, Caribbean nations in the modern world.Threatening the stability of the Bahamas is the rise in the number of violent crimes committed by its juveniles. With 53% (144,690) of the country's inhabitants younger than age 25 and an unemployment rate of 43% for those between the ages of 15 and 24 (Consultative Committee on National Youth Development, 1995, p. 55), leaders seek solutions that are consistent with the nation's philosophical commitment to "Bahamianization"-the building of the country via Black ownership of and participation in all levels of its society: economic, political, cultural, and social.
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