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115th out of 565 books
—
840 voters
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
Traces the history of sugar production and consumption, examines its relationship with slavery, class ambitions, and industrialization, and describes sugar's impact on modern diet and eating habits.
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
August 5th 1986
by Penguin Books
(first published 1985)
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A great history book in the wonderful myopic vein Ginnie mentioned. I am also planning to read Rats at some point, which seems like one too.
I am baffled by some changes since the last time I was on here. "Private notes??" What the heck is that supposed to be for??? I honestly can't even begin to imagine. I'm just baffled in general by the concept of writing something that's just for your own private information on the Internet. Shouldn't you keep that written in a real life notebook stuffed to t...more
I am baffled by some changes since the last time I was on here. "Private notes??" What the heck is that supposed to be for??? I honestly can't even begin to imagine. I'm just baffled in general by the concept of writing something that's just for your own private information on the Internet. Shouldn't you keep that written in a real life notebook stuffed to t...more
a fun read on how what had been an elite condiment in the middle ages became a staple of the working class diet by the 19th century.
From page 170: It is to their [planters, bankers, slavers, shippers, refiners, grocers, etc] efforts that England owed the institutionalization of a rum ration in the navy (begun 'unofficially' after the capture of Jamaica in 1655): half a pint per day from 1731 on. In the late 18th century it was increased to a pint a day for adult sailors -- much-needed creeping...more
From page 170: It is to their [planters, bankers, slavers, shippers, refiners, grocers, etc] efforts that England owed the institutionalization of a rum ration in the navy (begun 'unofficially' after the capture of Jamaica in 1655): half a pint per day from 1731 on. In the late 18th century it was increased to a pint a day for adult sailors -- much-needed creeping...more
The conditioned nature of sensory perception is at the heart of Sidney W. Mitz’s thesis in Sweetness and Power. Mintz’s work came about as an anthropological investigation into the outsized dietary role of refined sugar in countries like Britain and the United States. Observing that the taste for sweetness is far too varied between societies to support the idea of an innate, biological disposition for desiring so much sugar, Mintz turned to the history of sugar itself. Tracing its role as one of...more
Histories and sociologies of food stuffs have become fashionable in recent years - we've had histories of Cod, of Nutmeg, of Salt, of the Potato and others. But before all of them came this book, Sidney Mintz's excellent (1985) exploration of the place of sugar history. To us today sugar may seem a common-place (and in many case we eat far too much of it) but it has not so for more than a couple of hundred years, and sugar played a major part in shaping the modern world. For instance, is account...more
One wouldn't expect a book about sugar to require a warning for salt, but that is exactly what this book requires. Readers must take Mintz's argument with the proverbial grain of salt, or perhaps even a tablespoon's worth. Mintz offers a compelling history of sugar's incorporation into the Western diet, particularly in England, from the twelfth century to the present day. He offers lots of neat anecdotes and date on how it was introduced to England, how it spread down the social ladder, the ways...more
Wow. Read this in the Anthropology: Food and Culture class Carly and I took because we thought there would be free meals. It turned out to be more of a study of how humans and monkeys trade meat for sex. BTW, Carly did not read this.
I liked this book a lot although at the time I read for a class on economic development in Latin America it was not my friend. The class was in Spanish and so we read a translated version that was probably not as accessible as the original. Sugar of course is a commodity of great value and importance in the development of the modern world. I was fascinated to learn how when it was still a novelty item of the rich and elite it was used solely for decorative purposes. It's ascendancy as a major gl...more
This was a great book on World Systems Theory in practice. Following the history of sugar from where it originated, to todays uses was a very useful tool. I can now look at how things like iPod, computers, coffees, teas etc work today. How over consumption really hurts people all over the world. I love learning how different parts of the world has contributed to various things we use today, specially when the West says that other cultures need to develop. My only negative comment and reason for...more
A thought-provoking and riveting social history of the discovery and incorporation of sugar into capitalist modernity. Mintz's approach straddles anthropology, history, and sociology to make sense of how sugar went from obscurity to necessity, and traces the restructurings of the global economy and consumptive patterns along the way. All that, and a really fun read!
I guess what I like best about it, and what makes it most accessible, is his supremely descriptive language about the intimate-to-al...more
I guess what I like best about it, and what makes it most accessible, is his supremely descriptive language about the intimate-to-al...more
This history of sugar started a trend of histories of foodstuffs (cod, salt, etc.) and it is easy to see why. This book, while not likely to grab you from the name of it, is actually very good. Mintz is a cultural anthropologist, and his knowledge of the history of the Caribbean people comes through quite clearly and, sadly, in his narrative. Sugar provided an economic reason for enslavement – it is this exploration of the sweetness and ugliness of sugar that provides the backbone of the book.
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Dec 20, 2007
Abby
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people interested in food, colonialism, slavery
Shelves:
non-fiction
Mintz traces the rise of sugar from all angles: the growing, refining, and shipping processes; colonialism and the slaves that grew (grow?) the cane; the physiological effects of sugar; the tastes for sugar and its uses; and the class implications of sugar for its European users. My anthropologist best friend recommends this book as one of the top food anthropology books, and I agree with Dr. Lewis that it is a good book, but I think it could've been shorter as it begins to feel a bit redundant....more
1 like · like · see review
Mihir gave me this book after I told him of my tangent of books on slavery and the Caribbean. It's a great book for telling so many intertwined stories -- sugar, slavery, colonialism -- and doing justice to them all.
There are times when the book is in dear need of an editor, like his accounts of the contents of a shipping vessel, or what was in the pantry of an English aristocrat, but you learn to glance over these and get back to the story he is telling.
There are times when the book is in dear need of an editor, like his accounts of the contents of a shipping vessel, or what was in the pantry of an English aristocrat, but you learn to glance over these and get back to the story he is telling.
A very interesting analysis of the multiple facets of the history of sugar (production, consumption, power distribution, etc.) The book delves into the rise of sugar use and production mainly in England with a few comparisons to other countries developing at the same time and countries that appear to be developing in similar patterns as the UK with regard to sugar consumption. Much of the book examines the coinciding rise of sugar and the modernization of England during the Industrial Revolution...more
I had to read this book in order to contrast Smith's "Consumption and the making of Respectability," and though both agree that class was a major factor in the reason why the sugar trade began; Mintz argues that it was the increasing availability of sugar rather than the desire to be respectable that fueled the increased demand. I read this book as part of a historical discussion class and the book fits better in that context.
This was my first "the history of the world seen through X product" book. The high rating is therefore specific to my own experience: it introduced me to mechanisms that I have seen in other books and in real life, most notably how a luxury good democratizes over time. I remember my intro Anthro professor arguing that there were very few "cultural" notions that had demonstrated to hold up seemingly across all cultures: the incest taboo, raising eyebrows as a sign of recognition, and a preference...more
An indispensable study of the transformation of sugars uses and meanings over some five centuries. Mintz focuses on consumption, power, and trade in relation to Great Britain, but his account of the meaning of sugar in England is an excellent starting point for thinking about similarities and differences in the meaning of candy in the U.S.
ok, I have to admit it. This is actually quite interesting, though I felt that it was a little long. I felt like there were some parts that were repeated too often throughout the chapters.
Still, the depth of the history of sugar could not be done any better. I was surprised by the history since our society takes sugar for granted. It was well researched and highly informative. But, I still think its a bit wordy.
Still, the depth of the history of sugar could not be done any better. I was surprised by the history since our society takes sugar for granted. It was well researched and highly informative. But, I still think its a bit wordy.
You will never look at a teaspoon of sugar the same way. The book tells the complex story of how mercantalism and other global and local forces transformed a tropical product into a necessity in Europe. Important for understanding the forces of globalization today.
I never have read a book I disliked more. I had to force myself to get through it, stumbling through the poor writing and deathly boring discussions. I would recommend people NOT to read this book, unless they need something to put them to sleep.
Subject matter and scope of research: fascinating. General writing style: dull and soporific. Read only enough of section one to get a gist of it, then skip on to section two and beyond.
This is a cultural anthropological exploration of sugar and it is quite good. The book was first published back in mid-1980s and it mostly focuses on sugar and the slave trade, sugar, capitalism and markets for trade, and the development of a massive demand for sugar in industrial Britain. I loved reading about how sugar moved between upper and lower classes with different effects and found all the odd tidbits of curious history very fun and entertaining. I sort of wish that this book had been w...more
Once on a dare I ate a tablespoon of cornstarch at a party. The minute that powder hit my tongue it was a relentless battle to create enough saliva to get it down my gullet. I choked and coughed and when I did a plume of powder was emitted. It was all quite entertaining to the party goers. The reason I am relating this story is that after that incident I didn't think I could experience anything as dry as a tablespoon of cornstarch in my mouth. After reading this book I have been proven incorrect...more
Don't, just do not read this!!! I had to read it for history. It is not easy to read. It is hard to follow. Everyone in my class complained and half of them are history majors. I'm an English major. Maybe u need to enjoy anthropology to enjoy this book. It just was not for me.
An eye-opening book about the facts behind the colonization of America, the slave trade, and ultimately sugar, the crop responsible for a great deal of it. It is perfect read along with Open Veins of Latin America, by Eduardo Galeano.
Difficult at first to get into, but ultimately a fascinating look at a topic that I had never given much thought to.
Thorough and fascinating look at the history of sugar via the lens of Euro-dominance of the Caribbean, the ensuing Haitian Slave Rebellion, the way sugar has altered our bodies, society, culture, and more...
Writing is a little stiff and circular at times--not enough to kill the book, but just enough to stop and wonder if you're hearing the same thing over again because history is circular/repeated, or because a point is tirelessly trying to be hammered home, or what--sort of the way Jared Diamon...more
Writing is a little stiff and circular at times--not enough to kill the book, but just enough to stop and wonder if you're hearing the same thing over again because history is circular/repeated, or because a point is tirelessly trying to be hammered home, or what--sort of the way Jared Diamon...more
An exhaustive, academic read, rich in economic perception of the rise of sugar concumption. Worthwhile for anglophiles, and students of economics & culture.
This book could have been interesting, but it just wasn't... I actually had trouble getting through it.
Wow. Eye-opening and as upsetting as it was fascinating. A little wordy near the end, but this is chock full of valuable data and insight.
Sep 09, 2009
Vasare
added it
almost positive I read this... the title is just too familiar for me not to have read it...
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“Most of us, most of the time, act within plays the lines of which were written long ago, the images of which require recognition, not invention.”
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Jan 07, 2008 02:30pm
really. do. i must've gotten the decoy diary.
Jan 07, 2008 02:43pm