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Social History of Knowledge in theSlaveholding Atlantic World

SCIENCE STUDIES April 11, 2012 -  No comments 

 A review of Plantation Technocrats: A Social History of Knowledge in the Slaveholding  Atlantic World, 183018!" , #y $aniel %ood

It would be impossible to deny te role o! sl"#ery in te de#elopment o! modern industri"l

c"pit"lism$ Sl"#e colonies pro#ided Europe wit su%"r "nd tob"cco, wit " sou rce o! l"bor,

wit " pl"ce to send its surplus popul"tion, "nd wit "n in#estment upon wic to build

merc"nt !ortunes$ &ut "s D"n 'ood points out in is "mbitious (l"nt"tion Tecnocr"ts , in "ll

"ccounts o! sl"#ery "s "n economic system it )pre!i%ures, !ores"dows, "nd props up, but is

"lw"ys prior-to or oter-t"n *true+ c"pit"lism p$ 1./, wit te i mplicit or eplicit coroll"ry

t"t industri"l de#elopment ine#it"bly brin%s sl"#ery to "n end$ &ut "s 'ood sows, tere w"s

notin% "t "ll incomp"tible "bout sl"#ery "nd industry$ In !"ct, te world o! sl"#ery w"s were

new industri"l pro!essions "nd !orms o! epert nowled%e, lie en%ineerin% "nd cemistry,

too s"pe$ is dissert"tion tr"ces m"ny o! tese eperts in teir tr"#els "round te Atl"ntic

world$ In doin% so 'ood is "lso m"in% bi%%er "r%uments "bout ow te nineteent century

world economy w"s or%"ni3ed, "nd "bout te rel"tion o! sl"#e economies to !ree ones$

Te Atl"ntic world w"s not, e writes, di#ided into coloni"l or )periper"l pl"ces orbitin%metropolit"n or )core sites$ Inste"d e sees it crisscrossed by m"ny economic )circuits t"t

connected #"rious p"rts o! te Atl"ntic world in de!i"nce o! e"sy distinctions between core

"nd peripery$ 4oreo#er, " si n%le pl"ce mi%t epress multiple identities, simult"neously

sellin% r"w m"teri"ls, "s " colony would, in one circuit, wile eportin% comple

m"nu!"ctures, "s " metropole would, in "noter$ It is 5ust suc nimble, )semiperiper"l

pl"ces, lie 6ir%ini", Cub", "nd &r"3il t"t interest 'ood, "nd it is not " coincidence t"t "ll "d

lon% tr"ditions o! sl"#ery$ 7"r !rom renderin% tem unsuit"ble !or industry, sl"#ery brou%t "

cultur"l )creoli3"tion t"t could m"e tem cre"ti#e "nd #it"l sites o! industri"l

eperiment"tion$ 'ood sows ow sl"#ery "ctu"lly !ostered "n "tmospere o! eperiment

t"t c"r"cteri3ed te new pro!ession"l identities o! en%ineers, cemists, "nd oter eperts

wo went to wor tere$

Te !irst o! 'ood+s !our c"pters, )(l"nt"tion 8"bor"tories9 Industri"l Eperiments in te

Cub"n Su%"r-4ill, 1:;0-1:<0, "r%ues t"t Cub"n pl"nt"tions bec"me sites o! " new ind o! 

industri"l eperiment, "nd indeed te )industri"li3"tion o! eperiment it sel!, in te e"rly

nineteent century$ e le"#es beind more "bstr"ct deb"tes "bout weter nowled%e could

be indi%enous or eo%enous to periper"l or semiperiper"l 3ones to sow in det"il ow te

pl"nt"tion bec"me te site o! cemic"l-industri"l tri"ls$ In suc tri"ls, credibility depended on

"ppe"ls to %rounded loc"l nowled%e "t one moment "nd to o#erse"s "utority "t te net,

"nd te m"ret"bility o! in#entions "nd impro#ements depended on teir "#in% been

sub5ected to te ri%ors o! "ctu"l pl"nt"tion wor$

Cl"ims o! )mobility "nd )%roundedness bec"me resources in disputes "bout impro#ements

to su%"r production, "nd pl"nters, eperts, "nd oter interested indi#idu"ls bec"me epert "t

pri#ile%in% wice#er position tey "ppened to occupy$ Te pl"nter "nd distiller 4i%uel

Ar"n%o y =ues"d", !or e"mple, could critici3e te ide" !or impro#in% distill"tion t"t >os? 8uis

C"s"sec" "d cooed up in is "#"n" l"bor"tory r"ter t"n on " pl"nt"tion, wile

simult"neously poin% im !or bein% un!"mili"r wit scol"rly )7renc "utors p$ @0/$

4e"nwile, C"s"sec" could critici3e is ("risi"n colle"%ues or r"ter tose wom e oped

would become is ("risi"n colle"%ues/ !or teir )i%nor"nce o! )te in!luence o! te tropic"l

clim"te "nd o! te tecnic"l st"te o! most Cub"n pl"nt"tions, to wom tey "d tried to sell "

)mir"culous repl"cement !or uiclime p$ ;@/$

I! it were true t"t sl"#ery "nd industri"lism were incomp"tible, one would "#e epected

tese eperiments to be desi%ned to elimin"te te role o! sl"#es$ Bet it w"s )rule-o!-tumb

"rtis"ns "nd cr"smen wom te en%ineers "nd cemists cl"imed tey were tr yin% to

)scienti!ic"lly cut out o! te production process$ In !"ct, 'ood writes, )ne o! te ideolo%ic"l

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