We Limin”: A cultural historical analysis of Trinbagonian informal learning structures in American culture

• In Event: Cultural context of multiculturalism

Abstract

Objectives and purpose:
Cultures around the world use different physical and psychological tools to relax, discuss politics, and maintain relationships within the community. In the socio-cultural frameworks of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the activity of limin’ has received criticism and praise for being the “art of doing nothing” in the culture (Eriksen, 1990). Limin’ is categorized as the counterpart to the American notion of hanging out (Campbell, 2014). Hanging out often has negative connotations especially in urban centers because of the same "do nothing" notion that is celebrated particularly in the tourism arm of Trinbagonian Culture. This is significant because the largest point of migration for Trinbagonian migrants to the United States is the urban center of New York city. This urban center boasts over 400,000 migrants and their children who are of Trinidadian and Tobagonian Heritage (Brooklyn.com, 2012). With the notions of ‘hanging out’ among urbanites in New York City (namely Brooklyn) culture and the notion of ‘limin’'coming together for more than 40 years, there are some important ideas about cultural learning, learning in communities of practice, and neighborhood pedagogies that derive from studying limin’ communities in Brooklyn New York.

The notion of limin’ persists in Trinbagonian culture for more than two generations. But, has the notion limin' changed for some Caribbean migrants to Brooklyn during the course of the last forty years? Why or why not? And what was important about these perceived changes? The cultural-historical rules, communities of practice, divisions of labor affect the learning outcomes of limin’ activities, and the mediating instruments that have elements of cross-cultural conflict in the activity limin' when examined using a CHAT framework. This paper uses a combination of situated learning, cultural-historical activity theory, place pedagogy, and community of practice theoretical frameworks to assess the learning value in the activity of limin' in Trinbagonian Culture between Brooklyn and Trinbago.
Analytical methods and Data Sources
This paper uses a grounded phenomenological approach along with narrative analysis to understand various perspectives on the activity of limin'. Learning through limin' is significant given ideas of learning through activity as presented by cultural-historical activity and situated learning (Engestrom, 1999; Lave, 1998), developing place pedagogies through the happenings in place in space as conceptualized by Gruenewald (2003), and the learning that arises from recognized communities of practice as noted throughout the literature. Data was coded for narrative elements and phenomenological explanations.
Interview data, blog and news articles, among other types of information were gathered to first form a comprehensive picture of the activity of limin’ is in Trinbagonian culture for a cultural-historical perspective analysis. Liming is not exclusive to Trinbagonian culture. However, limin' in other cultures is outside the scope of this research because of lack of data. Data from three participants and over twenty articles are used to discuss the notion of limin'.
Results and/or conclusions
From the data collected and resources analyzed, there are three main areas discussed in the findings. Differences in the activity and meaning of limin' between Trinbagonians in Trinidad and Tobago, and Trinbagonians in the Greater NYC metro area arise when discussing tourism and limin', inter-community limin', and limin' as cooperative action. Four tourism, limin' is aligned with a laid back, non-active learning state that attracts foreigners and visitors who want to relax from everyday life. For inter-community limin' between Trinbago and Brooklyn, limin' takes on a different form, in which limin' is used to discuss activities that give rise to formal learning, building homes, starting sports teams and other such activities. And lastly, limin' as cooperative action was noted in Brooklyn interactions as a way to separate the activity from what other groups called 'hanging out' and was often used to learn how to politically organize, help those in need in the community, and preserve a community presence that represented Trinbagonian culture.
Significance of the study to the field of comparative or international education.
This study is significant for comparative and international learning in that it shows how learning situations, such as limin' change in social significance once they cross international and trans-local boundaries. Limin' as a tourist action and limin' as a cooperative community action are distinctions that need to be recognized not just for the Trinbagonian community. These distinctions are important in all transcultural communities where learning happens in unusual places. These learning habitats should be allowed to take shape and be distinct from other types of learning and knowledge construction that happens in communities among residents from various cultures.

Author

• Kimeka Campbell, Pennsylvania State University