Week 3.1 & 3.2 - Sweetness and Power

This book's premise is a simple question: how did sugar transform from a rare and pricy spice to one of the most ubiquitous global commodities? In the sections assigned for this week, what are some of the social and cultural factors that led to this transformations? What are the economics behind the transformation of sugar into a global commodity?

Sweetness and Power | Intro-Ch.1

Throughout the introduction of Mintz's Sweetness and Power, he spends a few paragraphs on the sheer enrapturement that is felt within the Carribean with sugar cane. He discusses specifically Barrio Jauca (in Puerto Rico), where he mentions that he felt as though he was standing "in a sea of cane" (xviii). Mintz continues to describe how nearly every part of life is centered around sugar cane, despite Puerto Rico being only a small amount of the consumption of the good. When Mintz describes that even when looking around at the workers, a lot of them are also chewing on the cane, it paints a surreal picture of a life that is truly centered around one good. While it's clear that American society is just as focused more generally on Late Capitalism and revolves around its notions, when I tried to think of anything in modern America that compares to this exact enrapturement of Barrio Jauca with sugar cane, I drew a blank. Is there anything you can compare sugar cane to in our modern times here?

Week 2.2 - Late Capitalism

What, according to these readings, are some basic features of late capitalism?

Anth 4250/5250 - Week 2.1 - Capitalism: Making Money with Money

How does Keith Hart describe the dynamics of money, markets, and political power in the modern era?

Book Launch - Money at the Margins - Reflections

What were some take away points from the book launch of Money at the Margins?

Week 13.1 & 13.2 Liar's Poker

Discuss this week's reading Liar's Poker. What do we learn about Wall street culture through this book?

Week 12.1 & 12.2 Bitcoin Miners and Boom Towns

[Politico article] What aspects of the bitcoin boom are covered in this article? In what ways do the bitcoin mining towns resemble boom towns in other examples of rushes to riches?
[NY Times article] Discuss the following quote from this article: "The paradox about Bitcoin is that it may well turn out to be a genuinely revolutionary breakthrough and at the same time a colossal failure as a currency." What, according to this article, might be the effects of Bitcoin on economic and other realms?