Introduction

The Introduction to Cultural Economies of the Atlantic World sets the stage for what the reader may anticipate for the corpus of the collection. Beginning with a heuristic discussion of the connections between buccaneers and cooking, the chapter further elaborates on the nuanced patchwork between material culture, identity formation, and the capital-driven relationships that shape the Atlantic world. Cultural Economies is in conversation with important monographs and edited volumes that have preceded it, and a portion of the Introduction is dedicated to establishing the historical, literary, and theoretical foundations that make the volume possible. The Introduction concludes with a preliminary discussion of all chapters and justification for the volume’s organization, structure, breadth, and scope.