The Socioeconomic Context of Grenadian Smuggling

Abstract

The cultural system of Grenada, West Indies, insures that smuggling can exist with small risks and great rewards to those involved. It is supported by a majority of the population because they regard it as one avenue of attack against perceived inequities in the socioeconomic system. It is also buttressed by lower-class Grenadians' beliefs regarding proper male behavior, or "manliness." The phenomenon of smuggling is explained through analyses of the wholesale and retail marketing systems, the relations between the social classes, and the Grenadian notion of reputation, or manliness.