How salt shaped Jamaica’s culture and subcultures
Hema is joined by Alyssa Bertrand Sperry, a retired pastry chef turned academic and historian, about her research on the historical and cultural significance of salt in Jamaica. Starting with the colonial era and the Spanish followed by the British, they explore the transition of Jamaica from a salt-producing island to a sugar-centric economy, the role of women in salt production, and the spiritual and practical implications of salt in the lives of Jamaican Maroon and Rastafarian communities.
Alyssa shares how she got the nickname ‘Salt Woman’ and the amusing quest to find an out-of-the-way salt pond in Jamaica, complete with rum and a game of dominoes.
Alyssa talks about her research methodology and the importance of honouring the voices of the communities she studied. The conversation highlights the multifaceted nature of salt, its impact on culture, and the ongoing relevance in understanding Caribbean history.
About Alyssa Bertrand (Sperry)
Alyssa Bertrand (Sperry) is a leading expert on salt, and its relationship to Jamaican culture(s). As a former chef, and historical ethnographer she provides insight into the role salt played in the development of culture and identities among the Maroons and Rastafarians by understanding salt’s role during the Atlantic Slave Trade and how it shaped the cultural identities of the past and present.
Alyssa received her master’s degree at the Department of Global Studies at the University of Oregon and her bachelor’s degree at Washington State University in Anthropology and History. Alyssa has received numerous awards and grants for her research including the Oregon International Research Grant, Folger Shakespeare Library Scholarship, and Library Research Excellence Award at Washington State University. Alyssa is also a contributing writer to the books Salt in Eastern North America and the Caribbean (University of Alabama Press, 2021) and Women Who Changed the World (ABC-CLIO, 2021). She also published an article in the World History Connected, “Eating Jamaica: How Food is Used to as a Tool to Create and Reinforce Cultural Identity,” (Vol. 18, No.1, 2021). Currently,
Alyssa serves on the board of Friends of Jamaica, a non-profit organization, helping to raise funds and provide grants to community-based projects around the island of Jamaica.
Resources and Links
Remembering Jah Calo
William Berryman art
Episodes Referenced
Caribbean Foodways with Dr. Candice Goucher
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!) https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/jerk-sauce
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