Sidney W. Mintz Books
Sidney W. Mintz (1922–2015) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on the anthropology of food, labor, and Caribbean societies.
Known for: Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
Books by Sidney W. Mintz
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
This influential anthropological study explores how sugar, once a luxury commodity, became a staple of modern diets and a driver of global economic and social change. Mintz traces the history of sugar production and consumption from its origins in the Caribbean plantation economy to its central role in industrial capitalism, revealing how the sweet substance shaped labor systems, colonialism, and cultural habits.
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The Origins of Sugar
Sugar’s story begins far from the smokestacked landscapes of industrial Europe. It starts in the gentle fields of Asia and the Mediterranean, where sugarcane grew as a curiosity cultivated by skillful farmers and turned into precious crystals by alchemists and artisans. In these early centuries, sug...
From Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
Sugar and the Rise of European Colonialism
Europe’s hunger for sweetness did more than reshape taste; it reshaped the world. In this part of my research, I demonstrate how sugar’s rising status spurred colonial enterprise, particularly in the Americas. The Portuguese brought cane to Brazil, and later, other European powers planted it across ...
From Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
About Sidney W. Mintz
Sidney W. Mintz (1922–2015) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on the anthropology of food, labor, and Caribbean societies. A founding figure in cultural anthropology, he taught at Johns Hopkins University and authored several seminal works on the intersections of culture, econom...
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Sidney W. Mintz (1922–2015) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on the anthropology of food, labor, and Caribbean societies. A founding figure in cultural anthropology, he taught at Johns Hopkins University and authored several seminal works on the intersections of culture, econom...
Sidney W. Mintz (1922–2015) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on the anthropology of food, labor, and Caribbean societies. A founding figure in cultural anthropology, he taught at Johns Hopkins University and authored several seminal works on the intersections of culture, economy, and history.
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Sidney W. Mintz (1922–2015) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on the anthropology of food, labor, and Caribbean societies.
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