Mahogany intertwined: Enviromateriality between Mexico, Fiji, and the Gibson Les Paul
2015; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1177/1359183515594644
ISSN1460-3586
Autores Tópico(s)Anthropological Studies and Insights
ResumoThis article builds a theory of enviromateriality through a global ethnography that engages both the material culture and materiality of a tree species, Honduran mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla), and the global political ecology of forest conservation. The author seeks to understand what Adorno calls the ‘constellation’ between people and mahogany by tracing human–nature relations through the global commodity chain focusing on one particular artefact, the Gibson Les Paul, an iconic solid wood electric guitar made primarily of mahogany grown in Mexico and Fiji. Enviromateriality considers three phases in which to examine the material and materiality in a variety of processes that are interconnected. These phases allow for an examination of local community relations with mahogany as trees and products, and whether certified mahogany helps create sustainability and social justice. The author also examines guitar players’ relations with their mahogany guitars, particularly focusing on the aesthetics that make the Les Paul desired, as well as the sonic and tonal agentic force that they consider mahogany to have.
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