Andean Cocaine is a very satisfactory commodity history. It brings together much of the theory that we have been discussing in the course so far, including Wallerstein's World Systems Theory and dependency theory. In addition, Gootenberg brings together Schivelbusch, Appadurai and Kopitoff and uses them as the lens through which he explains commodity chains. In addition, his discussion of world markets as being socially constructed is a perfect companion to Appadurai and his Social Life of Things. I particularly liked the discussion the commodification of cocaine, something that is clarified in this book in ways that it was not in others.
I thought that it was also significant that he emphasized the difference between cocaine as first manufactured in German laboratories and coca leaf as used by natives in Latin America. This discussion allowed the reader to understand the different actors and their role within the commodity chain of coca and cocaine.
Ultimately, the commodity chain approach is much clearer in this book than it has been in others, making this a good choice for inclusion in a commodity history course.
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