Bananas, Beaches And Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics

The sale of bananas is a large, globalized business. Ecuador is the largest exporter, and the three largest production corporations (Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte) are based in the US. The US is the top importer of bananas, and the EU is second. Women and men have different roles in the production of bananas since banana politics is gendered.

Between 1880 and 1930, the US colonized or invaded Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Nicaragua, all of which had plantation crops. However, the use of military force was becoming a liability by 1933, as it was alienating potential allies. With the help of Hollywood, the US began employing a more cooperative, or “Good Neighbor,” policy. Popular Brazilian actress Carmen Miranda became a Hollywood star known for her outrageous hats and thereby also became the face of Latin American women. She and other Latin American movie stars “replaced the marines as the guarantors of regional harmony” (217). The US was invoking the softer power of cultural icons.

Though 67 varieties of bananas are available, the Cavendish (or yellow) banana graces most American and European tables. First served to wealthy Bostonians in 1875, it soon became an international commodity.