'Seaweed, Power, and Markets: A Political Ecology of the Caluya Islands, Philippines.'

Abstract

The integration of remote places around the world into common markets and the expansion of market based economies is one of the most transformative processes of the global capitalist age. While South East Asia, and the Philippines in particular, have long been part of international trade and related processes of agrarian transition the degree and speed of integration of remote areas directly into commodity flows and globalised markets is a newer phenomenon. Rural areas in the Philippines are being integrated into market relations through diverse and varied processes such as the capitalization of agriculture, land titling and privatization, and the commodification of nature and lifestyles. The site of this study, the Caluya Islands, Philippines, offers a glimpse into the contingency and complexities of market integration experiences for socio-ecosystems. The aim of this study is to interrogate the differing processes and outcomes of two forms of market integration vying for the same space in the Caluya Islands: seaweed cultivation for export and international tourist development. Political ecology frames the analysis of market integration in Caluya and help me interrogate the importance of material nature, the centrality of power, and the interplay between local and extra-local forces. Unlike, experiences with cash crops elsewhere, seaweed cultivation has been overwhelmingly beneficial in Caluya. I argue this is due to a particular 'constellation' of factors: the material characteristics both of seaweed and the space of Caluya; local social structures; and extra-local factors. This configuration has resulted in a sustainable, hybrid economy. In contrast, imminent tourism development pushes market relations into the centre of life here, potentially undermining stable socionatural structures and disrupting the constellation of conditions that keep this system viable. By exploring the contrasts between the two, my research contends that certain conditions and configurations can be identified that link market integration to positive benefits, rather than to marginalization and environmental degradation.