Caste and Capitalism on Caribbean Plantations | Guyana News

Guyana News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 6, 2026 · 2m

Forget the myth that caste and capitalism were natural enemies—this episode reveals how Caribbean plantations after slavery actually mirrored caste systems in their rigid, inherited hierarchies. Far from being merit-based free markets, these capitalist operations thrived on racial coercion and social stratification, where skin color, not skill, dictated your place. Indian indentured laborers weren’t a disruptive force—they were absorbed into a new caste-like structure built on race and appearance. The plantation economy didn’t dismantle old hierarchies; it just swapped them out for ones based…