A Pacific Industry: The History of Pineapple Canning in Hawaii

(Hardback)

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The Hawaiian pineapple industry emerged in the late nineteenth century as part of an attempt to diversify the Hawaiian economy from dependence on sugar cane as its only staple industry. Here, economic historian Richard A. Hawkins presents a definitive history of an industry from its modest beginnings to its emergence as a major contributor to the American industrial narrative. He traces the rise and fall of the corporate giants who dominated the global canning world for much of the twentieth century. Drawing from a host of familiar economic models and an unparalleled body of research, Hawkins analyses the entrepreneurial development and twentieth-century migration of the pineapple canning industry in Hawaii. The result is not only a comprehensive history, but also a unique story of American innovation and ingenuity amid the rising tides of globalization.

Reviews

'A skilled historian, steeped in the archives, Richard A. Hawkins has produced a definitive business history. With his sensitivity to politics, colonialism, race and social and labour issues, as well as research and development, marketing and industrial structure, this will be of interest to a wide range of scholars' - Professor Leslie Hannah, Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics; 'An excellent monograph based on primary sources which demonstrates the foundation and growth of the pineapple canning industry prior to the First World War in the face of considerable opposition from Hawaii's sugar oligarchy which competed for Asian labour and local land. The author explains convincingly just how the Hawaiian canning industry was able to compete successfully with lower-cost competitors until the beginning of this century. In short, this book breaks new ground by its scholarly treatment of the empirical evidence for the rise of the canning industry in Hawaii and by its carefully considered integration of this case study into the theoretical literature of business history.' - Dr. Colin Newbury, Linacre College, University of Oxford

Author Bio

Richard A. Hawkins is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Wolverhampton, England. His doctorate and post-doctoral research explored aspects of the economic and business history of the Hawaiian Islands. He is currently researching the life and times of the American corporate attorney, Samuel Untermyer (1858-1940).