Biography
Professor Lewis, a native of St Lucia, West Indies, is Professor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), having recently retired from the position of Professor the International Relations of the Caribbean at the Institute of International Relations of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad & Tobago. Over an academic career commencing in 1963, he served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Social & Economic Research , UWI, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, and then as University Director of the Institute (now Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies) at its Mona, Jamaica Campus. Dr Lewis also taught political theory and international relations in the Department of Government, UWI, Mona and also at the Universities of Wales (Swansea), Liverpool, Florida International University and the University of Florida (Gainesville). Between these activities he served from 1982 to 1995 as the founding Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Dr Lewis has written widely on the areas of Third World International Relations, Caribbean international relations and regional integration and Caribbean-Hemispheric relations, and on United States-Caribbean Relations. A significant focus of his work has been on issues relating to the functioning of small states in these environments and in international relations generally. He was a member of the West Indian Commission chaired by Sir Shridath Ramphal, which produced the report Time for Action (1992), and Chairman of the Technical Working Group on the Governance of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) established by the Caricom Heads of Government which produced the report Managing Mature Regionalism (2006). Recently (2008-09) he was Chairman of a Task Force appointed by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago on Economic and Political Union between Trinidad and the States of the Eastern Caribbean. Its report has recently been reviewed by the Heads of Government of those countries. Dr Lewis was, in St Lucia the founding Chairman of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College between 1985 and 1995, and a founding member of the Board of the St Lucia School of Music. Between April 1996 and May 1997, Dr Lewis served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Castries Central, and Prime Minister of St Lucia.
Location
Castries, St Lucia