Ackee and saltfish vs. amalá con quimbombó? A note on Sidney Mintz’ contribution to the historical anthropology of African American cultures

Ackee and saltfish vs. amalá con quimbombó? A note on Sidney Mintz’ contribution to the historical anthropology of African American cultures. In the spirit of Sidney Mintz’ contribution to African American historical anthropology, this essay examines theories allocating differential explanatory weight to African cultural continuities and New World social conditions in the historical development of African American cultures through the lens of a set of culinary allegories built around two Caribbean dishes. Specifically, I argue that the opposition recently voiced by some Africanist historians against the so-called « rapid early synthesis » model developed by Sidney Mintz and Richard Price not just misinterprets the theoretical issues at hand, but foregrounds highly problematic, and ultimately ahistorical, notions of « Africanity ». Contrasting Cuban and North American conceptual linkages between « Africanity » and « racial identity », and surveying the emergent North American literature on « culinary Pan-Africanism » in light of theories of cultural property, I suggest that it is time we transcended the terms in which the debate between so-called « creolists » and « New Revisionists » has been framed.Ackee and saltfish ou amalá con quimbombó ? Note sur la contribution de Sidney Mintz à l’anthropologie historique des cultures afro-américaines. Cet article s’inscrit dans la lignée des contributions de Sidney Mintz à l’anthropologie historique afro-américaine. Par le biais de l’analyse d’allégories construites autour de deux plats antillais, sont analysées différentes théories qui accordent une influence, plus ou moins importante, aux « continuités culturelles africaines » et aux conditions sociales du Nouveau Monde dans le développement historique des cultures afro-américaines. L’article montre que les prises de position de certains africanistes, allant à l’encontre du modèle de la « synthèse rapide » développé par Sidney Mintz et Richard Price, se fondent, non seulement sur un malentendu quant aux innovations théoriques proposées par ces deux auteurs, mais aussi sur une conception de l’africanité très problématique et clairement ahistorique. En opposant les liens conceptuels entre « africanité » et « identité raciale » tels qu’ils sont élaborés à Cuba et en Amérique du Nord, et en parcourant, à la lumière des théories sur la propriété culturelle, la littérature nord-américaine sur le « panafricanisme culinaire », l’auteur propose de dépasser les termes du débat aujourd’hui imposé par les partisans des écoles « créole » et « néo-révisionniste ».¿Ackee and saltfish o amalá con quimbombó? Una nota sobre la contribución de Sidney Mintz a la antropología histórica de las culturas afroamericanas. En el espíritu de las contribuciones de Sidney Mintz a la antropología histórica de las culturas Afroamericanas, y mediante el ejemplo de dos alegorías basadas en dos típicos platos caribeños, este ensayo contrapone teorías que enfatizan las continuidades culturales africanas contra otras que ponen el peso explicatorio en las condiciones sociales del nuevo mundo. Específicamente plantea que la reciente oposición de algunos historiadores africanistas al modelo de una « síntesis rápida y temprana » desarrollado por Sidney Mintz y Richard Price, no solamente malinterpreta los problemas teóricos involucrados en este debate, sino que también se apoya en nociones problemáticas y ahistóricas de la « africanía ». Luego de contrastar las conexiones conceptuales entre identidad racial y « africanía » en Cuba y en América del Norte y, de revisar la emergente literatura norteamericana sobre el panafricanismo culinario, este trabajo propone que ya es tiempo de que superemos los términos que han enmarcado el debate entre los llamados creolistas y los nuevos revisionistas

Startups versus incumbents in ‘green’ industry transformations : A comparative study of business model archetypes in the electrical power sector

Scholars have recently argued that startups and incumbents play differential roles in the disruptive transformations of industries toward sustainability and that the transformations are only likely to succeed if both startups and incumbents contribute. To understand their respective contributions and, thus, to understand how industries make the transition toward sustainability, comparative studies of incumbents versus startups during this transformation have been identified as a central pursuit, but yet they are mostly lacking. Since business models have become a principal way of characterizing firms, the present study takes a business model perspective and derives business model archetypes in the electrical power sector from an analysis of 280 startups and incumbents in three different countries. The selected countries (USA, UK, and India) represent three different energy profiles and leading instances of disruption in the energy sector. The article, then, undertakes a comparative analysis of startups and incumbents based on the empirically distilled business model archetypes and develops propositions on startups, incumbents, and business models in industry transformations. This analysis produces several important insights. First, incumbents do not seem to engage in less business model experimentation than startups. Second, incumbents have adopted several new business models that are not pursued by startups. Third, startups have espoused some business models that are not pursued by incumbents. Fourth, foreign firms can also affect the ‘green’ transformation of an industry in a focal country. Finally, the identified business model archetypes are likely to be of interest to scholars and practitioners who are seeking an improved understanding of business models in the electrical power industry and the industry's competitive landscape.© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)This research project is financially supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse and is part of the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research SCCER CREST. Innosuisse had no influence on study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript, and on the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. We thank the editors, three anonymous reviewers, as well as Rolf Wüstenhagen for their helpful comments.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Effective Strategy-Making in Multinational Subsidiaries

We outline commonalities between studies of subsidiary decentralization and autonomous strategy-making in the international business and strategic management fields. This suggests that corporate headquarters should engage in strategy-making processes that provide a combination of formal direction for global efficiencies and autonomy for effective local responses. Strategic guidance from headquarters frames subsidiary decisions in line with corporate priorities and distributed decision power coupled with informal exchange of information facilitates strategic responses in tune with local market requirements. We identify some important nuances in the integration-responsiveness conundrum supported by an empirical study of 351 multinational subsidiaries. We discuss the implications for multinational strategy practice and suggest future research venues to investigate strategy-making in multinational firms

Incentives for Human Agents to Share Security Information: a Model and an Empirical Test

In this paper, we investigate the role of incentives for Security Information Sharing (SIS) between human agents working in institutions. We present an incentive-based SIS system model that is empirically tested with an exclusive dataset. The data was collected with an online questionnaire addressed to all participants of a deployed Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) that operates in the context of critical infrastructure protection (N=262). SIS is measured with a multidimensional approach (intensity, frequency) and regressed on five specific predicators (reciprocity, value of information, institutional barriers, reputation, trust) that are measured with psychometric scales. We close an important research gap by providing, to the best of our knowledge, the first empirical analysis on previous theoretical work that assumes SIS to be beneficial. Our results show that institutional barriers have a strong influence on our population, i.e., SIS decision makers in Switzerland. This lends support to a better institutional design of ISACs and the formulation of incentive-based policies that can avoid non-cooperative and free-riding behaviours. Both frequency and intensity are influenced by the extent to which decision makers expect to receive valuable information in return for SIS, which supports the econometric structure of our multidimensional model. Finally, our policy recommendations support the view that the effectiveness of mandatory security-breach reporting to authorities is limited. Therefore, we suggest that a conducive and lightly regulated SIS environment – as in Switzerland – with positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions can “nudge” SIS decision makers to adopt a productive sharing behaviour

To share or not to share: A behavioral perspective on human participation in security information sharing

Security information sharing (SIS) is an activity whereby individuals exchange information that is relevant to analyze or prevent cybersecurity incidents. However, despite technological advances and increased regulatory pressure, individuals still seem reluctant to share security information. Few contributions have addressed this conundrum to date. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, our study proposes a behavioral framework that theorizes how and why human behav- ior and SIS may be associated. We use psychometric methods to test these associations, analyzing a unique sample of human Information Sharing and Analysis Center members who share real se- curity information. We also provide a dual empirical operationalization of SIS by introducing the measures of SIS frequency and intensity. We find significant associations between human behavior and SIS. Thus, the study contributes to clarifying why SIS, while beneficial, is underutil- ized by pointing to the pivotal role of human behavior for economic outcomes. It therefore extends the growing field of the economics of information security. By the same token, it informs managers and regulators about the significance of human behavior as they propagate goal alignment and shape institutions. Finally, the study defines a broad agenda for future research on SIS

Genomic research, publics and experts in Latin America: Nation, race and body

The articles in this issue highlight contributions that studies of Latin America can make to wider debates about the effects of genomic science on public ideas about race and nation. We argue that current ideas about the power of genomics to transfigure and transform existing ways of thinking about human diversity are often overstated. If a range of social contexts are examined, the effects are uneven. Our data show that genomic knowledge can unsettle and reinforce ideas of nation and race; it can be both banal and highly politicized. In this introduction, we outline concepts of genetic knowledge in society; theories of genetics, nation and race; approaches to public understandings of science; and the Latin American contexts of transnational ideas of nation and race

Between the Vinča and Linearbandkeramik worlds: the diversity of practices and identities in the 54th–53rd centuries cal BC in south-west Hungary and beyond

Szederkény-Kukorica-dűlő is a large settlement in south-east Transdanubia, Hungary, excavated in advance of road construction, which is notable for its combination of pottery styles, variously including Vinča A, Ražište and LBK, and longhouses of a kind otherwise familiar from the LBK world. Formal modelling of its date establishes that the site probably began in the later 54th century cal BC, lasting until the first decades of the 52nd century cal BC. Occupation, featuring longhouses, pits and graves, probably began at the same time on the east and west parts of the settlement, the central part starting a decade or two later; the western part was probably abandoned last. Vinča pottery is predominantly associated with the east and central parts of the site, and Ražište pottery with the west. Formal modelling of the early history and diaspora of longhouses in the LBK world suggests their emergence in the Formative LBK of Transdanubia c. 5500 cal BC and then rapid diaspora in the middle of the 54th century cal BC, associated with the ‘earliest’ (älteste) LBK. The adoption of longhouses at Szederkény thus appears to come a few generations after the start of the diaspora. Rather than explaining the mixture of things, practices and perhaps people at Szederkény by reference to problematic notions such as hybridity, we propose instead a more fluid and varied vocabulary including combination and amalgamation, relationships and performance in the flow of social life, and networks; this makes greater allowance for diversity and interleaving in a context of rapid change