Description
Discourse on the Agriculture of Havana and Means of Encouraging It
Book Summary
This work by Francisco de Arango y Parreño, a key figure in Cuban economic thought, offers a pioneering analysis of the sugar industry in Havana at the end of the 18th century. The reader will find a detailed study covering everything from production flow and the labor force to financing, distribution, and markets. Considered the foundational text of Cuban relativist thought, this discourse lays the groundwork for an economic reform that defends the island's own interests against the Metropolis, revealing an early vision of Cuban identity and autonomy.
What is it about?
Francisco de Arango y Parreño comprehensively examines the Havana sugar manufacturing enterprise. The discourse breaks down the essential components of this industry: it describes the production process, analyzes the organization of labor, addresses sources of financing, and studies distribution channels and destination markets. Beyond the technical analysis, the work presents an economic and political thesis: the need for a reform that recognizes Cuba's particularities as a territory with interests distinct from those of the Mother Country. The author defends the identity of administrative and civil rights between the colony and the Metropolis, but maintains that Cuba is a non-assimilable entity with its own needs that require solutions adapted to its reality.
Main themes
- Comprehensive analysis of the 18th-century Cuban sugar industry, including production, labor force, and financing.
- Reformist economic thought and defense of colonial interests against the Metropolis.
- Origin of Cuban relativist thought, which postulates the island's uniqueness as a territory with its own rights and interests.
- Relationship between economy, politics, and national identity in the Spanish-American colonial context.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students and researchers of economic history, Latin American political thought, and colonial studies. It is also of interest to readers specializing in the history of Cuba, the development of the sugar industry, and the intellectual currents that forged Cuban national identity. It is an essential read for those seeking to understand the foundations of economic reformism in the 18th-century Caribbean.
What this book contributes
- A foundational vision of Cuban economic thought, formulated by one of its most influential figures.
- A detailed and practical analysis of the sugar industry, from production to markets.
- Keys to understanding the debate on Cuba's identity and autonomy in the colonial context.
- A historical perspective that connects the economy with the politics and culture of the time.
Technical specifications
- Author: de Arango y Parreño, Francisco
- Publisher: Linkgua Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: CLASSIC TEXTS
- Collection: THOUGHT
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publication date: January 2021
- Number of pages: 136
- Weight: 100 g
Editorial review
This hardcover edition of Discourse on the Agriculture of Havana and Means of Encouraging It recovers a fundamental text for the history of Cuban thought. Arango y Parreño's work stands out for its comprehensive approach and its relevance as a precursor to reformist and autonomist ideas on the island. For the reader interested in the economic and political history of Latin America, this book offers a rigorous and foundational perspective that remains a reference in colonial studies.