Enterprising Slaves & Master Pirates: Understanding Economic Life in the BahamasEnterprising Slaves & Master Pirates is an interdisciplinary account of economic life in the Bahamas. The Bahamas' economic story is an interesting tale, full of vibrant color - a story of short-lived booms followed by protracted busts, where discussions of economic success force us to mention fanciful figures such as the pirates Blackbeard and Calico Jack, and where accounts of economic woe, such as the collapse of the cotton market, are punctuated by descriptions of the clamor of Sunday markets or the unique practice of self-hire. Since the almost simultaneous settling of the Bahamas by pirates and Puritan farmers in the 17th century, two ideal typical entrepreneurs have dominated the region's economic life: the enterprising slave (encouraging Bahamian businessmen to work hard, to be creative and to be productive), and the master pirate, (demonstrating how success is more easily attained through cunning and deception). In addition to Caribbean Studies scholars, this book will appeal to students of culture interested in economic development, and economists interested in how culture impacts development efforts. |
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African Albury alert American American Civil War Anancy argued asserts Austrians Bahamas Bahamian culture Bahamian economy Bahamian entrepreneurs Bahamian slaves Barbados Beckles Bird-David Blackbeard blockade running Boettke and Storr Borin Bouki Brer Lion Caribbean celebrated century Chamlee-Wright 2000 character colonialism color contend context costumes cotton Craton and Saunders Cuba cultivation cunning dominant economic history economic success economists enterprising slave entrepreneurship Gadamer Geertz Glinton Glinton-Meicholas 1998 Guanima Hermeneutics ideal type important individual industry instance institutions interpretation islands Jamaica Junkanoo Kirzner labor Lavoie and Chamlee-Wright lives master pirate means Mises and Hayek Modjokuto Nassau Nayaka offshore banking particular peddlers piracy plantation economy political practices production profit opportunities provision grounds question Rabbi self-hire ships Similarly slavery smuggling social society sperrit spirit of enterprise story sugar suggests Tabanan thrived tourism trade U.S. dollar understand University Press van der Valk Weber West Indian wrecking