Banana Capital : Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator / Ben Brisbois.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brisbois, Ben, author.

Series:

Digestions (Regina, Sask.)

Digestions Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Banana trade.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (338 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Regina, Saskatchewan : University of Regina Press, [2025]

Summary:

For more than a century, banana plantations and farms in Latin America have defined the landscape and economies wherever these fruits are grown—toxic chemicals, exploited workers, and fragile monocultures are their legacy. At the southern end of Ecuador’s la costa region lies the city of Machala, the self-described “Banana Capital” of the world. There, farmers and workers experience alarming rates of negative health effects associated with widespread pesticide use along with precarious and unsafe working conditions. Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator reveals the grim realities of daily life for banana farmers and, beyond that, seeks to understand and address these challenges. Ben Brisbois’s search for understanding leads him back to the 19th-century origins of banana production in the Americas and through over a century of imperialism, bloodshed, and ecological devastation. Along the way, he uncovers how worker-led resistances and the ever-unpredictable ecosystem thwart repeated attempts by powerful multinationals and their government allies to extract more and more wealth from banana plantations at the cost of Latin American health and lives. Banana Capital reveals the power dynamics of life in the banana industry— dynamics vividly experienced by workers caught in a struggle against corporations prioritizing profit over the health of the land and the community.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

FIGURES

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: 1870– 1960

CHAPTER 1 EL PULPO

CHAPTER 2 RACE TO THE EQUATOR

CHAPTER 3 BANANAS, ENVIRONMENTS, AND HISTORIES

CHAPTER 4 BEYOND ITS CONTROL

CHAPTER 5 THE VERY, VERY TROPICAL EQUATOR

CHAPTER 6 THE PARAKEET IN THE PLANTATION

PART 2: 1961– 2000

CHAPTER 7 AN INSULT

CHAPTER 8 CAVENDISH ECOLOGIES

CHAPTER 9 EMPIRE’S GUINEA PIGS

CHAPTER 10 EL FRUTO DEL NEOLIBERALISMO

CHAPTER 11 HEALTHY RESISTANCE

PART 3: 2001– 2023

CHAPTER 12 A LA COSTA

CHAPTER 13 TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY SOCIALISM AND CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF SLAVERY

CHAPTER 14 A QUESTION OF CULTURE

CHAPTER 15 THE ILLNESS OF THE CENTURY

CHAPTER 16 EL GRINGUITO

CHAPTER 17 SAME JOKE, DIFFERENT CLOWN

CHAPTER 18 PLAGAS

CHAPTER 19 THE BANANTHROPOCENE

PART 4: GREEN FUTURES

Introduction

CHAPTER 20 STORIES

CHAPTER 21 EVIDENCE I: REGULATING AND LITIGATING TOXICS

CHAPTER 22 EVIDENCE II: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND “DEVELOPING COUNTRIES”

CHAPTER 23 SHOPPING

CHAPTER 24 NOTICING

CHAPTER 25 PLOTTING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

GLOSSARY

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781779400369

1779400365