Paper short abstract:

Based on the case of the Icelandic coastal fisheries, this paper shows that ‘quality’ of raw materials such as fish cannot be understood as external from the materiality of the good, but must be viewed in the broader context of production in which it is materialised and reproduced.

Paper long abstract:

Constructivist accounts commonly suggest that 'quality' is not an essential feature of a given object, but a historically contingent marker that is shaped and negotiated in societal discourse. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to quality construction as valuation practice in the economy.

Based on the case of the Icelandic coastal fisheries, this paper shows that 'quality' of raw materials such as fish cannot be understood as external from the materiality of the good, but must be viewed in the broader context of production in which it is materialised and reproduced. Accordingly, quality construction takes place in distinct 'epistemic cultures', in which raw materials are manipulated and shaped according to collectively negotiated valuation recipes.

All in all, the case shows that the revaluation of quality-related practices can be understood as collective coping strategy for small industries confronted with the changing expectations of an increasingly marketised rural economy. While quality-upgrading has led to an increasing valorisation of 'line caught fish' in the Icelandic coastal fisheries, however, the case likewise shows that rural networks of production remain tied to the uncertain and highly volatile futures of a globalised economy.