Paper short abstract:

This paper examines how and why gender exceptionalism functions as value-added in the male-dominated world of mezcal. I argue that the “celebration” of women in the mezcal industry serves to erase the gendered inequities by which women came to participate in the first place.

Paper long abstract:

Oaxacan mezcal is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation into a high-end, prestige commodity that is now produced for international export. Mezcal is an alcoholic spirit made by distilling the fermented juice of the agave, the same plant used to produce tequila. The production of mezcal has historically been, and continues to be, men’s work. Nevertheless, in the past decade, a handful of women have emerged as master mezcal makers (maestras mezcaleras). These women have garnered much attention within the within the industry as well as from consumers who are drawn by the novelty and the women’s biographies. This paper examines how and why gender exceptionalism functions as value-added in the male-dominated world of mezcal. Based on ethnographic field work carried out in Oaxaca, I argue that the “celebration” of women in the mezcal industry erases the very gender discrimination and inequities that created circumstances by which women came to participate in the first place. I use the case of one of Oaxaca’s most visible female mezcalera to illustrate how notions of female empowerment are often at odds with the social and material realities facing rural women producers.