Caribbean Quarterly CQ is one of the oldest periodicals in the English- speaking Caribbean. Regarded as the flagship publication of the University it was launched by the then Department of Extra Mural Studies (School of Continuing Studies) , UWI, in 1949 to be a platform from which research findings, university information, and general knowledge could be effectively disseminated within the campus and non campus territories. It is now produced by the Cultural Studies Initiative, the Office of the Vice Chancellor Emeritus.

The journal’s policy line was stated in its charter issue Vol. 1.1 (1949), by one of its co-editors, Philip Sherlock:

Throughout the Caribbean there are groups of men and women who are coming together to learn - to deepen their intellectual interests, to find out through discussion and reading more about themselves, their history, the lands in which they, live and the world round about them. This journal is published for these men and women, not only for members of extra-mural classes but for all men and women who seek after knowledge; to be a bond between them and to give them information about each other. CQ seeks to do more, it will work in co-operation with those literary journals which have contributed to the cultural development of the Caribbean. It will concentrate its attention on social and educational movements that are of general significance. It will aim at accuracy, objectivity, and clean thought, clearly expressed. Above all, it seeks to establish and strengthen the tradition or the book and of learning in the Caribbean.

It was not difficult for CQ to honour this commitment. Firstly, it has had no shortage of contributors. Young scholars, budding politicians and others were enthusiastic contributors to CQ only for the recognition it offered, for there was no monetary reward.

Secondly, it is interdisciplinary in perspective. Each issue contains about six to eight articles- informative and comprehensive in nature and replete with illustrations where appropriate. They may be concerned with literature, history, education, agriculture, industry, sociology, ethnology and religion among other subjects.