'We are growing Belize': modernisation and organisational change in the Mennonite settlement of Spanish Lookout, Belize

Abstract

This article addresses the entrepreneurial and organisational activities of a specific Mennonite group in Belize called the Kleine Gemeinde community of Spanish Lookout. Building upon Christian beliefs, agricultural skills and a strong working ethos, this group was able to build up a stable, local economic network. The authors suggest that their collective resistance against other social groups and their day-to-day strictness lead to processes of 'selective modernity'. As we make clear in this chapter, the Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites identity contains elements of ethnicity and partial exclusion based upon religious motives. The relative successful economic progression of this group is a sign of both their working ethos inspired by their religious background, and their will to progress and expand.

Female self-employment among the Kleine Gemeinde in the Mennonite settlement of Blue Creek, Northern Belize

“…According to Everitt (1983) the Mennonites developed their farming to be an important addition to Belizean agriculture and food production. Nowadays Mennonite entrepreneurs lead the national market when it comes to milk, dairy products and poultry (Roessingh and Boersma, 2011). They often visit shops and supermarkets in the cities to sell their products and some Mennonite companies even export their goods.…”

“…Nowadays, in 2010, the settlement counts about 750 inhabitants and is known as an advanced Mennonite community in the country. The progressive Mennonites distinguish themselves by making use of modern technology and a more developed economic system of commercial agriculture and agribusiness in their settlement (Roessingh and Schoonderwoerd, 2005;Roessingh and Boersma 2011). The organisations in the community do not only produce in order to supply the inhabitants of Blue Creek, but export their products to the local market as well.…”

Seeking Common Ground in Dryland Systems: Steps Towards Adaptive Water Governance

“…This explains why Mennonites said that they had not witnessed an act of corruption (Table 3): claiming otherwise implies that the participant or someone close to them has been part of it. Trusting that the community will take care of its members is a basic element of Mennonite culture and of the construction of its collective identity [49,76]. Expecting that they will reveal who is responsible for corruption or illegal water access within their community is unrealistic [48].…”

"No Sunday Business": Navigating Religious Rules and Business Opportunities in the Shipyard Mennonite Settlement, Belize

“…Both of these views of the Ordnung-as a response to the particular world around the community and as a reflection of the values held in the community-come into play in the case of technology use (or rather its selective use) among plain Anabaptists (Kok and Roessingh 2013;Kraybill 2010, 196;Roessingh and Boersma 2011). In these cases, a group must determine the extent to which the technology supports or challenges the values that guide its way of life.…”

“…After introducing Belize, Shipyard, and the Old Colony, we refer to recent literature on Anabaptist technology use in order to set up the ideas of Ordnung and its relation to the selective use of technology (Kraybill 2010;Roessingh and Boersma 2011;Zimmerman Umble 1996). We then describe the butcher's work-specifically his use of energy, communication, and transportation technologies-analyzing the relationship between his business practices and the Ordnung.…”