Slipping Away: Banana Politics and Fair Trade in the Eastern Caribbean

A specialist in the economic and political dimensions of rural development in Central America and the Caribbean, Moberg (anthropology, U. of South Alabama) explores features of banana trade from perspectives of rural residents in St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Dominica; political leaders and activists across the region; and supermarket executives and alternative trade proponents in Britain. The broad view may blur some local detail, he admits, but there are many studies of specific parts of the chain for those who want a closer look. His topics include work and identity among island growers, banana politics, privatization and fragmentation, desperate times and desperate measures, and fair trade and conventional farming in the Mabouya Valley. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Mark Moberg is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Alabama. His research centers on the economic and political dimensions of rural development in Central America and the Caribbean. He has published extensively in cultural and applied anthropology and is the author or co-editor of three previous books: Citrus, Strategy and Class (1992), Myths of Ethnicity and Nation (1997), and Banana Wars (2003; edited with Steve Striffler).