Les trajectoires entrepreneuriales en Caraïbe francophone : entre héritages et mutations

Abstract

This chapter situates student entrepreneurship in the Francophone Caribbean as a social and territorial phenomenon, a product of colonial legacies, economic dependencies, and persistent inequalities. It examines Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique through a comparative socioeconomic overview, then traces the influence of centrally planned economy models on perceptions of initiative and success. The analysis shows that entrepreneurship among young graduates is built at the intersection of aspirations for autonomy, capital constraints (financial, relational, institutional), and migratory tensions. Three illustrative trajectories reveal non-linear paths where entrepreneurship appears less as a “solution” than as a situated strategy for emancipation, negotiated with local norms, resources, and institutional expectations.