Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Mercantilism and free trade

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4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Taking the work of radical dependency theorist Clive Thomas as its starting point, this article examines the structural effects on Caribbean economies of capitalist globalisation, neoliberal 'adjustment' programmes and the imposition of 'free market' rules of trade. It looks at the interplay between the powerful corporations and nation states and asks whether the region's 'underdevelopment' is a product of its comparatively small size or of its colonial history. Arguing that the latter was the principal factor, it analyses both the sugar and the banana industries in terms of their forced accommodation to the dictates of imperialism, to provide lessons for the present.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)41-56
Number of pages16
JournalRace and Class
Volume49
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bananas
  • Barbados
  • Caribbean economy
  • Clive Thomas
  • Dependency theory
  • Imperialism
  • Neocolonialism
  • Sugar
  • Windward Islands

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Archaeology
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • General Social Sciences

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