ABSTRACT
In many respects, the movement of Latin American baseball players between their native lands and North America deviates from the contemporary profile of trans-national labour migration. The atypical characteristics of Latin American baseball labour are, however, only superficial. In the final analysis, the factors determining this labour migration are the same as those controlling the rest of the social formation (international capital flow and production costs versus labour supply, demand, and demands of labour). The noteworthy component in this study is the articulation between political-economy and culture provided by the study of baseball in the third world. In the continuing attempts to subordinate the sport played by the Dominican Republic and elsewhere to its labour requirements, Major League Baseball Inc. finds itself in a contest. Not only are the Dominicans struggling to retain the sport for their own needs, but baseball has become a primary means of expressing Dominican resentment towards the North Americans. Dominican baseball is shown to be more than a function of labour migration and policy. The Dominican side of this cultural struggle is what political scientist James Scott referred to as ‘weapons of the weak’. Field work on baseball in the Dominican Republic was carried out between 1987 and 1989 and covered a complete range of the sport (amateur to professional). Observations were combined with interviews, surveys, and even some direct participation in the Dominican baseball scene (Klein, 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991). What follows is an examination of various Dominican elements and findings within the context of trans-nationalization of North American baseball.
