Do Bananas Have a Culture? United Fruit Company Colonies in Central America 1900-1960

Abstract

This article is concerned with the processes underlying the development of the unique identifications and culture which evolved among the First Class Workers of the United Fruit Company - the vast majority of whom were citizens of the United States, working alongside Europeans and Central Americans - during the first half of the twentieth century. Examining the social and cultural practices widespread among the Company’s colonies, I trace the nature of the ‘Banana Culture’, a term coined by the members of this group.

Keywords

• United Fruit Company
• Culture
• Identity
• Central America
• 20th Century