Overview

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.

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9780312238711

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Reviews

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 <p> 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<p> 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 <p>

<p>&#8220;Skillfully navigating the pitfalls of reading soft drinks as either a pat story of unmitigated coca-colonization on the one hand or autonomous local resistance on the other, Foster presents a persuasive case for both the openness and the constraints of the processes he traces.&#8221;&#8212; Comparative Studies in Society and History <p> This is a great book. It is definitely worth incorporating in your teaching if you are a professor, and in your thinking if you are a human being who cares about people and our environment. Foster pulls together many strands of cultural anthropology to create a compelling story about how soft drink corporations are attempting to take over the world not just in terms of sales but also in terms of government and citizenship. --anthropologyworks.com<p>&#8220;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 meani

<p> Skillfully navigating the pitfalls of reading soft drinks as either a pat story of unmitigated coca-colonization on the one hand or autonomous local resistance on the other, Foster presents a persuasive case for both the openness and the constraints of the processes he traces. -- Comparative Studies in Society and History <p> This is a great book. It is definitely worth incorporating in your teaching if you are a professor, and in your thinking if you are a human being who cares about people and our environment. Foster pulls together many strands of cultural anthropology to create a compelling story about how soft drink corporations are attempting to take over the world not just in terms of sales but also in terms of government and citizenship. --anthropologyworks.com<p> 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

Author Information

Robert J. foster is Professor of Anthroplogy and Mercer rugler distinguished Teaching Professor at The University of Rochester.

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