Bananas

John Soluri's Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States examines the development of cultures in two interconnected regions over time. The telling word in Soluri's title is Environment (though he may not have used it the way I do!); for it best describes the author's goal and approach. That is to say, Soluri executes a multi-tiered study of development over time by examining the various parts and pieces that come together to form an ecosystem. The conditions in which people live, their means (political, economic, etc.), their occupations, abilities, entertainment, etc. etc. are all used to paint a fairly detailed picture of life and its complex evolution. Further, as many have noted before me, this work is an exploration of power relationships within said ecosystem.

With power relationships in mind, I must disagree with both James and Joseph whilst in the same breath agreeing with them! First and foremost, yes, Soluri's lack of upper-tier treatment leaves us with a huge blind spot for the story of UFCO, Central America, and US involvement in the greater region; but I don't think Soluri is really trying to tell that story. However, I think (and it could just be phrasing!) the idea that governments granted UFCO/others monopoly powers flies in the face of a very different reality that existed/exists. This especially proves true when looking at the power relationships at play. The companies operating in this region, time and again, independently proved to be more powerful than indigenous governments; and for those few times the balance shifted, US Marines made landfall. So, it isn't so much a case of broken economic models or governments necessarily  "allowing" or "granting" certain powers as much as it's about the fact that certain actors lacked any real power to do so if they really wanted to.

With that in mind, Soluri's work, in essence, operates with an understanding of the above. In other words, he acknowledges the overarching power relationships and examines what happens within the tiers below; thus demonstrating that "life goes on" as it were.

-Mike