I agree with everyone else that this is definitely more of a lens book in its use of salt. In fact, salt is really not the center of the book at all. The book is about the state and its effect upon local society, which seems to be Rosenthal's main aim. I think this is an important argument for Rosenthal because he wants to go against historiography that views the state as a weak actor that did not shape Colombia. For Rosenthal, the agency lay with the state, because whether its policies were successful or not, its actions were what people reacted to either positively or negatively. Thus the monopoly the state had on salt was not necessarily a negative thing for the people. They actually revolted when the state was going to close the saltworks in La Salina because it meant they would lose their livelihood or even worse be subject to capitalist forces. Rosenthal's discussion of the term "monopoly" was especially fascinating because the people saw a monopoly as anyone who bought salt and sold it at a higher price.
I felt that Rosenthal failed to argue effectively for the importance of salt, which in a lot of ways was the foundation for his book. Rosenthal argues salt was so important because the revenues it brought the state were second only to tobacco. Moreover, salt revenue was constant, and war or international events did not cause the commodity's revenues to the state to fluctuate widely. Rosenthal argues that in the 19th century salt was of prime importance to people and was a prime commodity sought after(something we take for granted today). The problem is he does not discuss consumption and who/why/where this salt is going. Is this a mass commodity that people are demanding? Rosenthal discusses how salt was important for fattening cattle, which would lead me to believe the majority of the salt was being demanded by larger landowners or elites? I think that consumption is important here because it might tell you why the government-run monopoly started in the first place or perhaps reveal any commercial connections between the government and private interests. If this commodity chain of salt was not far-reaching, perhaps the state was limited in its capacity, and was only relevant in certain areas of the state while the rest of the territory was left to function and create more "organic" markets and commodity chain networks.
Rosenthal argues that because salt is so important to people during this time period and its revenues were high, La Salina is a worthwhile area to study. Moreover, he argues that La Salina is indicative of other regions that produced salt, and can serve as a model for the history of other regions connected to salt. This is a problem for me because we have to take Rosenthal at his word for the importance of salt to society at large because he doesn't really argue this effectively. Moreover, the population of La Salina was under 200 households. This small population might mean high variability, and I wonder how representative it was. He at one point argues that indigenous peoples did not suffer the instability of other populations that were ravaged by disease because in La Salina they were connected to the saltworks and potential material wealth it provided. With such a small population, I wonder if this had more to do with indigenous survival then did the saltworks? Or maybe any losses were quickly replaced with more laborers? Rosenthal's book is based upon convincing the reader that salt was important, so La Salina was important and through a study of La Salina we can see the importance of the state in Colombian society. Had he brought more evidence to the importance of salt to society, I think this book would have been more effective, and this is one reason why if salt should be more central to the story.
I felt that Rosenthal failed to argue effectively for the importance of salt, which in a lot of ways was the foundation for his book. Rosenthal argues salt was so important because the revenues it brought the state were second only to tobacco. Moreover, salt revenue was constant, and war or international events did not cause the commodity's revenues to the state to fluctuate widely. Rosenthal argues that in the 19th century salt was of prime importance to people and was a prime commodity sought after(something we take for granted today). The problem is he does not discuss consumption and who/why/where this salt is going. Is this a mass commodity that people are demanding? Rosenthal discusses how salt was important for fattening cattle, which would lead me to believe the majority of the salt was being demanded by larger landowners or elites? I think that consumption is important here because it might tell you why the government-run monopoly started in the first place or perhaps reveal any commercial connections between the government and private interests. If this commodity chain of salt was not far-reaching, perhaps the state was limited in its capacity, and was only relevant in certain areas of the state while the rest of the territory was left to function and create more "organic" markets and commodity chain networks.
Rosenthal argues that because salt is so important to people during this time period and its revenues were high, La Salina is a worthwhile area to study. Moreover, he argues that La Salina is indicative of other regions that produced salt, and can serve as a model for the history of other regions connected to salt. This is a problem for me because we have to take Rosenthal at his word for the importance of salt to society at large because he doesn't really argue this effectively. Moreover, the population of La Salina was under 200 households. This small population might mean high variability, and I wonder how representative it was. He at one point argues that indigenous peoples did not suffer the instability of other populations that were ravaged by disease because in La Salina they were connected to the saltworks and potential material wealth it provided. With such a small population, I wonder if this had more to do with indigenous survival then did the saltworks? Or maybe any losses were quickly replaced with more laborers? Rosenthal's book is based upon convincing the reader that salt was important, so La Salina was important and through a study of La Salina we can see the importance of the state in Colombian society. Had he brought more evidence to the importance of salt to society, I think this book would have been more effective, and this is one reason why if salt should be more central to the story.
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