Beyond racism and poverty : the truck system on Louisiana plantations and Dutch peateries, 1865-1920 / Karin Lurvink.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lurvink, Karin, author.

Series:

Studies in global slavery ; Volume 3.

Studies in Global Slavery, 2405-4585 ; Volume 3

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Truck system--Louisiana--19th century.

Truck system.

Truck system--Louisiana--History--20th century.

Plantations--Louisiana--History--19th century.

Plantations.

Plantations--Louisiana--History--20th century.

Peat industry--Netherlands--History--20th century.

Peat industry.

Truck system--Netherlands--History--19th century.

Truck system--Netherlands--History--20th century.

Peat industry--Netherlands--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (289 pages) : illustrations, maps, charts, tables.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands ; Boston, Massachusetts : Brill, 2018.

Summary:

The truck system was a global phenomenon in the period 1865-1920, where workers were paid through the company store. In Beyond Racism and Poverty Karin Lurvink looks at how this system functioned on plantations in Louisiana in comparison with peateries in the Netherlands. In the United States, the system is often viewed as a 'second slavery' and strongly associated with racism. In the Netherlands, however, not racism but poverty has been seen as the main reason for its continued existence. By using a variety of historical sources and by analyzing the perspectives of both employers and workers, Lurvink provides new insights into how the truck system worked and can be explained. She reveals how the system was not only coercive but had advantages for the workers as well, which should not be overlooked.

Contents:

Introduction

Bayous and Bogs—The Geography of Isolation

Truck Payments

Abuse? The Effects of the Truck System

Costs and Benefits—The Employer’s Perspective

Carrots, Cake, and Candy—The Store as a Positive Incentive

Sticks and Strikes—The Store as a Negative Incentive

The Power of Racism and Class

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-04-35181-7

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004351813 DOI