Ambiguous spaces and the contemporary neoliberal innovation: the case of Merkén

Abstract

To explore the material effects of power in processes of agri-food innovation. We focus on the emergence of ambiguous socio-material spaces for innovation. These spaces appeared from a commercial innovation to gather the potential added value embodied in territorial heritage food-products. The case study of Mapuches’ Merkén is situated in the community of Santa Juana (Bío-Bío region, Chile). The condiment is a result of the combination of three different types of local chilli-peppers, and of a sophisticated and experiential knowledge on the use of smoke to dehydrate the fruits, as part of heritage properties of a condiment attributed to Mapuches’ culinary culture. The recognition of the potential high gastronomic value of these chilli-peppers and its handicraft elaboration, it made this commercial innovation interesting to study, as an innovation contributing to the territorial development. However, the scramble that followed for the market control of the heritage added valued, generated deep contradictions, between industrial, semi-industrial and the artisan condiment elaboration. Santa Juana producers’ unique recipes are result of generations of peasant families cultivating biocultural relationship between producers and the chilli-merkén. The biocultural study highlights the socio-material chilli-peppers, unique ecotypes existence, the cultivation styles, and producers’ detail knowledge of smoking processes to elaborate the Merkén powder. The paper identified producers’ long existence regional markets relationships, and recognized that commercial innovation in this case, it has to do with the challenge of overcoming standardized rules and procedures that market produces generally demand. The maintenance of diversity among Merkén producers is paramount. The existence of socio-material differences is an important factor in keeping the integrity identifying a product with its territory. The paper shows that is the socio-materiality involved in processes of innovation where resides the ability to transform or not relations of power and authority, reconstituting territorial products with added value. Finally, we suggest that innovation spaces in the contemporary period has an ambiguous nature. This is characterised by oscillating movements between advantages offered by the market and the multiple reconfigurations assumed by the materiality of power, and the situated producers social organization.