Paper short abstract:

In this paper I explore the morality of negotiations around price and value in contemporary betel nut marketplaces. In doing so, I examine the social relationships and power asymmetries between transactors, the specificities of the trade, and betel nut’s moral ambiguity.

Paper long abstract:

Early studies of modern Melanesian marketplaces emphasised the suppression of competitive trade practices, including the absence of haggling. The character of marketplaces has changed since these early observations. Competitive practices, if sometimes subdued, are now a feature of marketplace exchange. In the Papua New Guinean betel nut trade, characterised by long-distance wholesaling and the proliferation of intermediaries, competitive trade practices are especially prominent. Highland betel nut traders pride themselves on their ability to push buying prices down, much to the frustration of lowland betel nut producers. But while competitive practices are now prevalent, they are not without moral contestation. In this paper I explore the morality of negotiations around price and value in contemporary betel nut marketplaces. In doing so, I examine the social relationships and power asymmetries between transactors, the specificities of the trade, and betel nut's moral ambiguity.