Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
by Sidney W. Mintz
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recommends it for:
ginnie!
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 ...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 ...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
people interested in food, colonialism, slavery
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
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
history nerds with a sweet tooth
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 creepin...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 creepin...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
anthro fans, eaters
This book could have been more interestingly written but was a good read on the whole. My favorite part is that elaborate sugar sculptures in the 1400s or so at royal tables were called "subtleties." A close second: "disappearance figures" are the numbers of goods that disappear in a given time period, mostly consumed. Third place: "go-away" is the aspect of a food that lets you swallow it without leaving your mouth coated in fat. Peanut butter has bad go-away. ...more
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Read in January, 2006
This book is awesome. Mintz is a food anthropologist. This book is about how sugar went from being the food of the gods for only a very few wealthy people to being the staple food of working class England. Mintz covers sugar production in the colonies and the capital accumulation made possible by slavery. This capital is what fuels the industrial revolution in England. Workers needed cheap food. Mintz notes that with the rise of sugar, coffee, tea and chocolate became more popular in Europe.
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Read in April, 2006
recommends it for:
world history fans
This book is interesting because it shows how powerful the introduction of a product (in this case sugar) can be to society. Mintz shows how the sugar plantation system is pre-capitalist. He talks about how the British hankering for sugar caused the enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans. It's interesting and relevant to the capitalism of today. Mintz was an anthropologist so it's more anthropological at times than historical.
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I found most of Sweetness and Power boring. I guess I have a different interpretation of modern than Sidney Mintz. This book focuses on the rise of sugar's prominence in Western (specifically British) diets from the beginning European imperialist exploitation of the Americas through the late 1800's. I guess the last 15-20 pages touch on the 20th century.
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Read in January, 2004
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.
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Read in January, 1997
This had a major impact on my understanding of how we got to where we are today. It clarifies how people in power have visions of how to achieve their goals--in particular, the discussion about the role of sugar in Britain's move to industrialization. It's pretty stunning.
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Great history of how sugar - taste - Caribbean slavery - the British industrial revolution - women feeding the family on a tight budget are all interrelated. I love it; it is quick moving and thoughtful. My students found it boring and thought it should be more upbeat.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
people interested in anthropology, history of anthropology, economics, globalization and trade
a classic anthropological text that showed anthropologists that you have to look at history and context to under stand current culture, economics and interconnections.
a great book if any one is interested in the history of globalization, power, class and production.
a great book if any one is interested in the history of globalization, power, class and production.
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This traces the history of sugar as it pertains to production and consumption, and how the relationship between two very different groups changed because of this relationship. It traces how eating habits changed and why they changed, and does it in an interesting way.
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Read in February, 2008
examines how sugar, once a luxury, became a household necessity...and the impact of its demand and the resulting trade. published in 1985, it predates the trend of single-food-histories like _Salt_ and _Cod_.
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Read in January, 1998
Hahaha, I had to add this book because it is seriously THE WORST book I have ever read. So incredibly boring that it almost cured my of ever eating sugar again.
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Read in January, 1996
After reading this, knowing the bloodstained history of the sugar trade does quite a bit to un-bleach the spoonful of the stuff for the morning cuppa.
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For anyone interested in how sugar came to be what is be, and for those who never though about it...
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food, power, history, anthropology, economics, good writing - a great book
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I never finished it. Please refer to Abby Davis for a completed review.
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Read in January, 2006
One of the ultimate narratives of commodity fetishism.
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