Spencer Oneal
SOS Commodification Processes & Alternatives
Week #3 January 21, 2017
241 Words
…It [the hearth] was the central source by which to read and write as well as to cook, converse or simple sit. It is no surprise then, the connection between literature and the hearth…the hearth and therefore cooking labor are associated with vernacular speech and with the fluidity of the subaltern body and finally with the boundaries that lie between seemingly dichotomous social groups…
(Tompkins 2012 :20, 51)
The starting point for the European expansion out of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic continental shelf had nothing to do with, say religion or the rise of capitalism- but it had a great deal to do with pepper. The Americas were discovered as a byproduct in search for pepper.
(Newman 2013: 20)
…intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, calling it a potential disaster for our country. Instead he said he would negotiate fair bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back…The US leaving TPP is a problem of America rejecting globalisation…
January 22, 2017
Tompkins depiction and of the history and place of the hearth in the home was very enlightening and gave me a new perspective on its true value and influence in the traditional American household. The hearth holds greater significance than I had realized and represents and symbolizes many of the cultural and societal elements of colonialism. I was also amazed at the significance and value placed on spices, especially black pepper and how it directly caused many socio-political changes and influenced entire governments. The impact of the spice trade on the the world is quite astonishing and to see how so much of the history of this country and capitalism was founded on and dependent on the trade of the spice commodities.
In current day, there has been much controversy regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership which was an organization of 12 of the worlds major economic powers. This trade deal would have undermined much of the rights of the lower-class peoples and given more power to the corporations in their ability to effect change and misuse the law to their advantage. This countries involvement in this partnership would have jeopardized our economy in numerous ways. However in light of the recent election, our new president has made one of his first actions to withdraw our involvement in this proposal which is a defining act the will shape the future of trade and commodities as much as spices may have.