The Caribbean as a Sociocultural Area: Reflections and Comments

Abstract

"The Caribbean as a socio-cultural area" (1966), a key article by Sidney W. Mintz, promotes multiple discussions and approaches. This article examines the historical and intellectual context of the essay: its place in Mintz‘s oeuvre and its importance for Caribbean studies; and the ongoing debates where the article may be located. The article reviews the criteria that Mintz uses to define the Caribbean, in order to highlight the particular significance of each, as well as their interactions. Finally, some general remarks about "The Caribbean ..." and its broader implications are set forth. The article presents a region whose keystone was Westernization and early modernity, and which was world-historically an early outpost of capitalism. It is these coordinates –often overlooked in discussions on Mintz‘s work– that grounded the ensemble formed by plantations, racism, and enduring colonialism which, to Mintz, typified the historical Caribbean.