Engineered Paradise: Cultural Power and the Making of the Caribbean Cruise Industry

University of Illinois Press (Forthcoming – Spring 2027)

Cruise ships are widely celebrated as gateways to new cultures. However, over the past half a century, the mass-market cruise industry has increasingly relied on global supply chains, exploited maritime labor, and corporate control over the consumer experience to turn cultural contact into profit.

This book uncovers the historical scaffolding behind the cruise industry’s strategic co-opting of global cultures. Tracing the evolution of the modern mega-ship from its roots in postwar ocean liners to the floating cities of the twenty-first century, the book demonstrates how cruise lines paired commodified cultural referents with immersive spatial design and international labor to maximize guest spending. This corporate grip extended to Caribbean destinations, where companies steadily gained control of port enclaves and vetted shore excursions to manage contact with local communities while retaining the profits.

A sobering look at a vacation mainstay, Engineered Paradise explores where leisure becomes entangled with culture, capitalism, and power.