The Gift of the Middleman: An Ethnography of Quinoa Trading Networks in Los Lipez of Bolivia

Abstract:     
This paper is a response to the lack of in-depth understanding of local context within political economy perspectives. The regional quinoa economy is ethnographically researched to identify the intra-communal differentiation amongst actors to demonstrate that actors make market decisions based on their personal values, economic return, personal desires, and life strategy. In addition to addressing the over-generalised history of political economy, this study supports the movement towards an anthropology of development; an anthropology in which research is carried not only for the benefit of anthropological knowledge, but for a real contribution to knowledge of development policies and projects outcomes.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 133

Keywords: Bolivia, Actor-Oriented Approach, Quinoa, Fair Trade

working papers series