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Racialized downgrading and upgrading: Dis/articulation and the Fijian kava commodity chain

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda Bertana

    (Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA)

  • Marie Sarita Gaytán

    (Department of Sociology and Gender Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA)

Abstract

Dis/articulation offers critical insight into exclusionary practices embedded in global commodity chains. In Fiji, powerful actors engage in dis/articulation strategies to limit access to kava consumption domestically while ensuring its availability to Western audiences. Repurposing colonial rhetoric associated with Fijian kava consumption, state officials and lead firms portray kava as over-consumed, unhealthy and harmful in relation to Indigenous Fijians who are its primary producers, harvesters and domestic consumer base. These same actors (e.g. state officials and lead firms) promote kava to Western markets, publicizing it as healthful and beneficial to primarily white consumers. Their marketing and promotional efforts perpetuate colonial tropes and racialized discourses in an effort to simultaneously decrease value domestically (via downgrading) and increase value abroad (via upgrading). This study advances our understanding of the lesser-known historical and relational dimensions of race in global commodity chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda Bertana & Marie Sarita Gaytán, 2025. "Racialized downgrading and upgrading: Dis/articulation and the Fijian kava commodity chain," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 57(1), pages 22-39, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:57:y:2025:i:1:p:22-39
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X241274066
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