Beyond Mass Sugar Management In The British Caribbean

“An awareness of our past is essential to the establishment of our personality and our identity as Africans” Haile Selassie. Beyond Massa: Sugar Management in The British Caribbean, 1770-1834 was written by Dr. John F Campbell and is a required book for the Caribbean Civilisation course. This historical book divided into seven chapters which give identity formation information was published by Calaloux Publications. This book report seeks to contextualize Beyond Massa, assess the effectiveness of the ideas conveyed and evaluate the ideas in relation to issues facing the Caribbean as well as give criticisms. Beyond Massa can be contextualized using its subjects, setting and period. The book moves away from a typical slave and master dialogue
Colonialism did not only mean a new economy reliant on sugar plantations but it brought new values and norms that we see in the Caribbean today. Racial stratification and gender roles were taught from a European perspective. In colonial times, we saw whites describing black people as lazy and primitive. Even though Beyond Massa sought to show how the slaves empowered themselves, today we see that these sentiments live on. Black people are often the victims of the legal system. Blacks are also seen as dispensable and that’s why today we see the Black Lives Matter Movement. Colonialism also lead to identity crises with many African descendants today not knowing anything about Africa and trying to disassociate themselves from their ‘blackness’. There is no doubt that the development of race consciousness for black people has been affected by
The book, set between 1770 and 1834 was centered on the Golden Grove estate. HRM strategy and how it helped plantations to maximize labour was discussed as an aim of the book while and concepts were effectively illustrated. Beyond Massa took a revisionist stance and reevaluated female role on plantations by showing female empowerment through networks and resistant strategies. In general, it was insightful especially when HRM strategies and female empowerment was discussed. However, these insightful ideas felt disjointed, reading each chapter felt like a new beginning. To sum up Beyond Massa, Maya Angelou said, “For Africa to me ... is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present