The history of a cultural exchange in social, economic and geographical
structures in the tobacco and chocolate commodity web of the New and Old
Spanish World. Norton dramatically uncovers and provides scads of evidence to
prove her perspective of the history of the Atlantic (3). Compared to the work of
the Coe’s, Norton establishes deeper acculturation, or as Marie suggested in her
post.
The central theme of syncretism shows the complexity of more than a
commodity web, an actual history of the Spanish Old and New World swap of
metizaje and modernity. As one culture merges with another, both appear to
change because of the supply and demand of a things that have not necessarily
an economic value, but a cultural one.
Although these two plants appear to be different, one is a seed and one is a
leaf, their growing environments are often adjacent. Norton’s work lacks jargon,
which makes for a fluent read. The framework of the Spanish apparatus of
importing, processing and consumerism is not so fluent.
Norton is successful in exposing two commodities, not as biological
determines, but rather as cultural entities in the forming the change of
European and American histories. Certainly there is a slant towards narratives of
material culture, belief systems and science, Norton manages to define concepts
and images well. The transformation of two distinct cultures in more of an
exchange than a power play is admirable.
And a new model that incorporates a commodity web with all the elements
of sacred, secular and transformation to modernity. Amazing.
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