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Beyond Massa

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The Caribbean during the 18th century was mainly agricultural based regions with numerous plantations. These plantations main outputs were sugar and required human labour, resulting in the development of the chattel slavery. In this book report, I’ll be focusing on the book Beyond Massa: Sugar Management in the British Caribbean, 1770-1834 by Dr. John F. Campbell. Dr. Campbell is a Senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad. The book comprises of an introduction as well as seven chapters which focuses mainly on Sugar production and chattel slavery during the 17th and 18th centuries. The book goes on to discuss the Golden Grove plantation in Jamaica as well as how elite groups of enslaved …show more content…

The institution of slavery was called into existence in the Caribbean to satisfy the need for labour created by a change in the basis of production from tobacco to sugar. Traditionally African labour was best suited due to its low cost and distinguishable servile class. The acquisition of these slaves in the 18th century was through chattel slavery. The word chattel means property. African slaves were procured through kidnapping raids, making and selling prisoners of war, selling of children who parents where in debt and selling persons who were guilty of witchcraft. Dr Campbell reveals methods by which enslave labour created spaces for negotiation that management had to respond to (Campbell 11). Dr Campbell in his book “Beyond Massa” showed a link between Human Resource Management and …show more content…

F, Beyond Massa, Calaloux, 2012 stated “The role of white women in the managerial affairs of the plantation has been taken to be superficial or, in most cases, not noteworthy.” Dr Campbell goes on to argue that women played a very important role in the plantation. This point can be argued to a great extent. Simon Taylor manager of Golden Grove wrote a letter to Chaloner Arcedekne the owner of the plantation. His letter concerned issues of management and references to the estate’s white women. However, Arcedekne’s mother showed interest in the welfare of the estate. Mrs Arcedekne played a pivotal role in managing labour and pursue numerous productivity methods on the plantation. Mrs Arcedekne showed that she had control over her son as well as the deciding power on the estate. This showed that women had some power in the plantation

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