The Politics of Protection and the Promise of Authenticity: Mezcal and NOM 186

• In Event: 2483 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Global and Transnational Movements

Abstract

In 2011, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property introduced NOM 186, legislation that would prohibit distilled agave drink manufacturers from using the word “agave” in their advertising and on their bottle labels. Backed by large tequila and mezcal industrialists and the Mexican government, NOM 186 was poised to endanger the livelihoods of thousands of small-scale producers, especially those who were already legally prohibited from calling their drinks “mezcal.” Within days, an international effort was mobilized to halt the legislation, and, in early 2012, the proposal was suspended. Using NOM 186 as a case study and drawing on qualitative methods including interviews, participant observation, and content analysis, this article forwards two arguments: 1) The justification and pursuit of NOM 186 represents an extension of previously prevailing logics that were successfully—but problematically—executed in the management of tequila and mezcal’s denomination of origin (DO). Given the unprecedented success of the transnational endeavor, a second proposition is put forth: 2) Under certain conditions, the social imaginary of DOs—that is, discourses of authenticity and heritage—may foster new coalitions and disrupt neoliberal pursuits.

Author

• Marie Sarita Gaytan, University of Utah