Assigned reading: Sidney W. Mintz - Sweetness and Power

Read the introduction and skim through the book, especially chapters 2 and 3 (look in the additional resources next to the syllabus, the webpage about how to skim through a text). 

Discussion on April 28

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Sweetness and Power is a fascinating book written by North American anthropologist Sydney Mintz (1922-2015).  Keep in mind that the book was published in 1985.  This is quite evident, for example, when the authors call for an anthropology of the West saying that it is still quite unaccepted in academia. Since then, anthropologist and the field of Science and Technology Studies -STS- have embraced the study of modern practices and changing societies.

The book is a classic of the anthropology of the Caribbean and the anthropology of food. It is also a precursor in studies about the economic world system. Most importantly for us, it is one of the first to use a "thing" to trace the geographical, economic and political configurations of Europe and its colonies.