Barbasco

Overall, I found Gabriela Laveaga’s analysis of the Barbasco trade to be very interesting and readable.  Her book, Jungle Laboratories, reminded me of some of the readings we have discussed over the past few weeks, especially in that it successfully returned agency to those people and groups who are often left out of the historical record. Like Timothy, I paid special attention to its connection with Black Rice and how a special knowledge base was required to find and harvest the yam. In dense jungles full of poisonous snakes and dangerous terrain, Campesinos (those who picked the yams) had to defy the elements and recognize the yam in order to dig it up. Without experience in the jungle, one could become lost or injured while attempting to find the yam, which gives the rural Mexican pickers special agency in the production of this commodity. In addition, by using the commodity chain approach, the author was able to show the entire process of the steroid hormone industry. From the jungles of rural Mexico where the yam was harvested by the Campesinos, through the transportation and purchase by middlemen, to the laboratories and pharmaceutical companies who processed the product and created drugs for the world, every link in the chain is discussed in detail. As a reader, I appreciated this approach when discussing a commodity that I knew little or nothing about beforehand because it gave me a clear understanding of why its discovery and use was so important. Furthermore, the commodity chain helped to highlight why Campesinos should be recognized for their contributions and why they and the government insisted that Barbasco “belonged” to the peasants and the nation. Without the knowledge base created and maintained at the lower levels of society, the yam might never have been recognized or developed for its scientific and medical worth.  This specialized knowledge gave Mexican peasants an enormous amount of agency in this specific commodity.

While this book is very similar to other histories such as Black Rice and Banana Cultures that we have read, I thought one of the main differences was the conscious awareness of the Mexican government in recognizing the contributions of the of the rural pickers. By establishing Proquivemex, the government attempted to end exploitation by trans-national companies and bring more modernization and information about the commodity to the farmers of the countryside. In the other books, the authors are often the ones finding the agency that has been hidden away or ignored. However in this history, the government was interested in the well-being and importance of their citizens, even at the lowest levels. While this awareness was short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful because of overwhelming competition and depleted resources, I thought that point was interesting and unique. In conclusion, because this book emphasizes the theme of human agency that I have focused upon throughout the semester, I would definitely keep it on my syllabus.