DOC Beyond Slavery: Explorations of Race; Labor; and Citizenship in Postemancipation Societies by Frederick Cooper; Thomas Cleveland Holt; Rebecca J. Scott in History

Description

The idea that sugar; plantations; slavery; and capitalism were all present at the birth of the Atlantic world has long dominated scholarly thinking. In nine original essays by a multinational group of top scholars; Tropical Babylons re-evaluates this so-called "sugar revolution." The most comprehensive comparative study to date of early Atlantic sugar economies; this collection presents a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world.Focusing on areas colonized by Spain and Portugal (before the emergence of the Caribbean sugar colonies of England; France; and Holland); these essays show that despite reliance on common knowledge and technology; there were considerable variations in the way sugar was produced. With studies of Iberia; Madeira and the Canary Islands; Hispaniola; Cuba; Brazil; and Barbados; this volume demonstrates the similarities and differences between the plantation colonies; questions the very idea of a sugar revolution; and shows how the specific conditions in each colony influenced the way sugar was produced and the impact of that crop on the formation of "tropical Babylons--multiracial societies of great oppression.Contributors:Alejandro de la Fuente; University of PittsburghHerbert Klein; Columbia UniversityJohn J. McCusker; Trinity UniversityRussell R. Menard; University of MinnesotaWilliam D. Phillips Jr.; University of MinnesotaGenaro Rodriguez Morel; Seville; SpainStuart B. Schwartz; Yale UniversityEddy Stols; Leuven University; BelgiumAlberto Vieira; Centro de Estudos Atlanticos; Madeira