The Coffee Commodity Chain in the World-Economy: Arrighi's Systemic Cycles and Braudel's Layers of Analysis

John M Talbot

doi:10.5195/jwsr.2011.427

Abstract

This article presents a history of coffee in the modern world-economy, w;ing an analyticalframework synthesized from Arrighi's concept of systemic cycles of accumulation and Braudel'snotion of three levels of economic analysis: material life, the market economy, and capitalism. Ittakes the commodity chain as the unit of analysis, and argues that this choice helps to illuminatethe caw;al connections between Braudel 's three layers. The method of incorporated comparisonis w;ed to compare restructurings of the coffee commodity chain with the restructurings of thelarger world-economy during each of Arrighi 's systemic cycles.

Highlights

In this paper, I use Arrighi's four "systemic cycles of accumulation" as a framework to describe and explain transformations of the world coffee economy, focusing on the use of coffee in everyday life and the global trade in coffee.' I link these changes to the recurrent pattern that Arrighi identifies for each systemic cycle, moving through alternating periods of "material" and "financial" expansion
One enters a shadowy zone, a twilight area of activities by the initiated which I believe to lie at the very root of what is encompassed by the term capitalism: the latter being an accumulation of power a form of social parasitism ... (1982:22)
Coffee is an apt commodity for this type of analysis. It was introduced into Western Europe by Venetian traders during the Genoese systemic cycle, and has played an important role in the shaping of material life, the market economy, and capitalism as a system ever since

Summary

INTRODUCTION

I use Arrighi's four "systemic cycles of accumulation" as a framework to describe and explain transformations of the world coffee economy, focusing on the use of coffee in everyday life and the global trade in coffee.' I link these changes to the recurrent pattern that Arrighi identifies for each systemic cycle, moving through alternating periods of "material" and "financial" expansion. I attempt to explain how the changes in material life and the market economy were shaped by, and in tum helped to shape, the development of each systemic cycle of accumulation as a whole. When a hegemonic power restructures the world-economy, it does so by restructuring the commodity chains that comprise it. 59 JOURNAL OF WORLD-SYSTEMS RESEARCH underlying the evolution of each. The article concludes with some generalizations drawn from the analysis and some reflections on the theoretical framework

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

THE GENOESE SYSTEMIC CYCLE

THE DUTCH SYSTEMIC CYCLE

THE BRITISH SYSTEMIC CYCLE

Findings

CONCLUSION