Champagne Taste on a Mauby Pocket: The Socioenvironmental History of Mauby in Barbados

UNDERGRADUATE HONORS THESES

Christopher A. Maggiolo, College of William and Mary

Date Thesis Awarded

5-2010

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Anthropology

Advisor

Frederick H. Smith

Committee Member

Marley R. Brown

Committee Member

James E. Perry

Committee Member

Susan Kern

Abstract

For four centuries, the social and spiritual meaning of Mauby, a non-alcoholic beverage made from tree bark, has influenced Barbadian national identity. Despite its importance, the social history and anthropology of this beverage have yet to be investigated. This thesis will examine Mauby in the context of Barbados and use it as a prism through which to view the defining processes that shaped this island nation, slavery and colonialism. Using Balée's Historical Ecology theory and Turner's Social Identity theories, I argue that the globalization of the production, distribution, and consumption of Mauby paralleled the expression of Barbadian national identity.

Recommended Citation

Maggiolo, Christopher A., "Champagne Taste on a Mauby Pocket: The Socioenvironmental History of Mauby in Barbados" (2010). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 681.
http://publish.wm.edu/honorstheses/681

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