Link to Session Platform

Chairs(s):

Elizabeth Sibilia, University of Oslo

; Catherine King, University of North Carolina, Asheville

Description:

This session is inspired by a series of interventions focused on how human geographers should consider approaching geographic research on ocean markets. Berndt and Boeckler's 2009 progress report on the construction of markets note the central role markets play in economic processes of circulation and exchange, while highlighting that they are rarely taken up as objects of study within economic geography. To remedy this, they propose three heterodox approaches to the study of markets that incorporate a more pluralistic approach arguing that an embrace of competing positions is the strength of the heterodox project. Since their 2009 contribution, there have been numerous works published that use this proposal to pursue a 'critical geography of markets' (Muellerleila and Akers 2015; Braun 2016; Cohen 2018). For example, in Making Market Rule(s), a themed issue published in EPA (Muellerleile and Akers 2015) the authors highlight the way in which market space is rendered through regulations. The authors note "Markets and information they produce and consume are entangled in increasingly pervasive systems of measurement, assessment, and governance" (2015: 1781). Pushing an agenda of 'engaged' pluralism (Barnes and Sheppard 2010) the authors bring attention to the central role contingency plays in critical research on markets and the necessity for empirical cases that can help inform the significance of the market as a concept (1783).

Christophers' (2014) calls for a more constructive dialogue between the 'performativity of markets', or "techno-cultural" approaches to markets and other heterodox political economic approaches. He notes that this type of engagement would encourage Marxist political economy to constructively elaborate on market formation and reproduction, as well as develop insights into the particularities of production at the heart of value (14). More recently, Cohen's (2018) work on the geographies of markets proposes that key questions remain for economic geographers who study markets, such as: how we define markets, how does space and place inform the functioning of markets, and what role do markets play in broader societal processes (898-899). At the core of his prompt is a call for geographers to continue to embrace insights and theoretical frameworks from economic sociology, specifically Callon's work on markets as being 'performed'.

Considering the work done on markets the past decade, our hope for this session is to survey what geographers are thinking, writing, and theorizing about in relation to 'blue' markets and market formation in a broad yet geographically focused context.


References

Alvarez León L, Leqian Y and Christophers B (2018) Introduction: The Spatial Constitution of Markets, Economic Geography, 94:3, 211-216.
Barnes Trevor and Sheppard E (2010) Nothing includes every- thing’: Towards engaged pluralism in anglophone eco- nomic geography, Progress in Human Geography 34: 193–214.
Berndt C and Boeckler M (2009) Geographies of circulation and exchange: construction of markets. Progress in Human Geography 33(4):535-551.
Callon M (1998) Laws of the Market. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Christophers B (2014) From Marx to market and back again: Performing the economy. Geoforum 57: 12–20.
Cohen D (2018) Between perfection and damnation: The emerging geography of markets. Progress in Human Geography 42(6): 898-915.
Muellerleile C and Akers J (2015) Making market rule(s). Environment and Planning A 47(9): 1781–1786.

Non-Presenting Participants Agenda