c. 1988 – 2017: Modern researchers have criticized the “homogenized” view of the Caribbean past that was often reinforced by popular literature and early archaeology.

c. 1988 – 2017: Modern researchers have criticized the “homogenized” view of the Caribbean past that was often reinforced by popular literature and early archaeology. Authors like James Michener utilized simplistic “good Indian” versus “bad Indian” tropes, such as the peaceful Arawak versus the cannibal Carib. Keegan and Hofman argue that these stereotypes mask the enormous variability and complex social alliances of pre-Columbian societies. Instead of a series of displacements, they view the region’s history as a “kaleidoscope” of transculturation and migration. This modern perspective seeks to move beyond rigid ethnic blocks to understand indigenous complexity.