Razing Cane
Making Sense of Arson in the Sugar Fields of Republican Cuba
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8157259 |
|---|---|
| Authors | McLeod McLeod (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 513 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Agricultural History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-1482 • E-ISSN: 1533-8290 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.3098/ah.2015.089.4.513 |
| OpenAlex | W2371395546 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
This article explores the nature and meaning of sugarcane arson in Cuba during the first four decades of the twentieth century. In the scholarly literature as well as popular memory, the illegal burning of sugarcane has been seen as an important means by which marginalized groups, such as slaves, rebels, bandits, and striking workers, challenged the established order during times of political and social upheaval. Sugarcane arson, however, was not just a tactical measure utilized during extraordinary moments, but was intrinsic to the island’s sugar economy. Despite varied efforts by government officials and plantation managers to prevent cane fires, a number of groups— including colonos (cane farmers) as well as cane cutters—regularly ignited sugar fields for their own purposes. Using sugarcane arson as an analytical lens thus provides a more nuanced picture of agrarian relations in prerevolutionary Cuba
Agronomy · Arson · Biology · Cane · Criminology · Sense (electronics · Sociology · Sugar · Sugar cane · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Cuban History and Society · Engineering · Food Science · History · Politics and Society in Latin America
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |