Global economics in the creation and maintenance of the Spanish colonial empire

Abstract

For decades anthropologists, economists, and historians have debated whether Wallerstein's proposed European-centered world economy is an adequate model for explaining the rise of capitalism and the creation of “core” consuming and “peripheral” producing geographical areas in the early modern era. To go beyond generalizations, researchers must turn to specific examples from a broad array of cultural, social, and geographical situations to evaluate and explain why differences existed. Historical archaeology is ideally suited for this as it considers both the documentary evidence and material manifestations of these developing economies. The Spanish colonial empire of the 16th through 19th centuries provides an ideal “sample” from a single colonial cultural context to examine this in detail. After decades of work in the Caribbean, the Americas, the Philippines, and Oceania, evidence suggests that what developed is far more complex and made up of a combination of internal colonial constraints, external systemic concerns, and technological developments.

Citation

Skowronek, R.K. (2002), "Global economics in the creation and maintenance of the Spanish colonial empire", Research in Economic Anthropology (Research in Economic Anthropology, Vol. 21), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 295-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-1281(02)21011-2