Robert J. Foster is Professor of Anthropology and Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Rochester
Review
"Neither a politically-correct polemic against corporations nor a paean to the glories of free trade," Coca-Globalization" is a thoughtful look at how products can take on extraordinary meaning for human beings and how shareholders and soft drink consumers can have an impact on business decisions. - Mark Pendergrast, author of" For God, Country & Coca-Cola" and" Uncommon Grounds" "A profound, scholarly study that doggedly tracks down and records in detail the way Coca-Cola inhabits our world today. Foster's riveting presentation and analysis of Coca-Cola in Papua New Guinea is matched by his sensitivity to global issues of value, shareholder activism, and the environment. A firm foundation for a genuinely informed politics of consumption."--Daniel Miller, Professor of Material Culture, Department of Anthropology, University College London "The book is simply one of the most eloquently argued and clearly written texts on globalization that I have ever read."--Paige West, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Barnard College, Columbia University
Summary
This book explores globalization through a historical and anthropological study of how familiar soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi became valued as more than mere commodities. Foster discusses the transnational operations of soft drink companies and, in particular, the marketing of soft drinks in Papua New Guinea, a country only recently opened up to the flow of brand name consumer goods. Based on field observations and interviews, as well as archival and library research, this book is of interest to anyone concerned about the cultural consequences and political prospects of globalization, including new forms of consumer citizenship and corporate social responsibility.
Table of Contents
Cola Connections and Worldly Things
The Social Life of Worldly Things: Commodity Consumption and Globalization
Glocalizing Coca-Cola: The Multilocal Multinational Corporation
Qualifying Products: Trademarks, Brands and Value-Creation
A Network of Perspectives: The Meanings of Soft Drinks in Papua New Guinea
Globalization, Citizenship and the Politics of Consumption
Corporations, Consumers and New Strategies of Citizenship
Shareholder Activism: Consumer Citizenship Inside the Corporation
Pouring Rights: Politics, Products, Agency and Change
Product Networks and the Politics of Knowledge
