Weber’s spirit of capitalism and the Bahamas’ Junkanoo ethic

The Protestant ethic which, according to Weber, contributed to economic development in the West is only one of a variety of work ethics that can be identified and studied. In the Bahamas, for instance, a definite Junkanoo ethic colors economic life. Junkanoo is a semiannual carnival-like festival that is the quintessential Bahamian cultural experience. This paper argues that Weber’s Protestant Ethic can serve as a model for telling culturally aware economic narratives and uses Weber’s approach to discuss the role that the Junkanoo ethic has played in the economic success of the Bahamas (the richest country in the West Indies). JEL Classification B25, B41, O54, Z13