Cash or Card? Economic and Social Exchange at the Hamilton NY Farmers Market

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 6: Labor Movements, Global Economics, and the Gig Economy

Abstract

Farmers markets are often positioned as a return to traditional ways. The Hamilton Farmers Market in Upstate New York shows how farmers' markets are deeply entrenched in modernity through the various payment methods accepted alongside diverse vendor and customer positionalities regarding age and class. This anthropological research project delves into the intricate economic and social relationships at the Hamilton Farmers Market, specifically
exploring the impact of technology on these interpersonal and monetary transactions. This research entails participant observation of the Hamilton Farmers Market and semi-formal interviews with five vendors discussing their unique relationships with people and money at the market. Through these methods and thoughtful, ethical considerations, I will be adding to the broader studies of exchange, local markets, money, and food while answering how economic and social relationships among actors at the Hamilton Farmers Market relate to technological integration or a lack thereof.

Author

• Felicity Morgan Breedlove, University of Pennsylvania