Conflicting interpretations: On analyzing an agribusiness’ concerns about critique

Author(s)

Tijo Salverda

Abstract

This article explores different ways to interpret the extent to which (capitalist) critique influences corporate practice. Starting from (self-) reflection upon negotiations between the author and a European company involved in land-based investment in Zambia, this contribution shows that corporate actors may be more responsive to their critics, such as NGOs, journalists, local communities, and (activist) scholars, than often assumed. It may be argued that anthropology partly misses this dynamic, due to its limited interest in ethnographic engagement with the powerful and its critical interpretations of capitalism. At the same time, with persistent unequal corporate advantages and wrongdoing, critical interpretations remain of significant relevance to understanding the limits of corporate responses. Reflecting on the balance between these different interpretations, the article aims to discuss the intricacies of analyzing and critiquing corporate practices.

Organisation(s)

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Journal

Journal of Business Anthropology

Volume

8

Pages

4-24

No. of pages

21

ISSN

2245-4217

DOI

https://doi.org/10.22439/jba.v8i1.5711

Publication date

2019

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504017 Cultural anthropology, 504008 Ethnography

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e5cab106-83e7-4720-8a4b-68a045ade913