Competition and Care among Market Vendors in South Trinidad

 

 

 

 

 

(AI-generated image)

At 4:30 in the morning the market vendors are already out, preparing to sell their goods. They unpack crafts, arrange stalls, and exchange greetings across the narrow aisles. Fruits, vegetables, cheese, poultry, meat, and seasonings like chadon beni, thyme, pepper, and garlic, create a kaleidoscope of colors in the various sections of the outdoor market. During my time in the market, I saw how both competition and care functioned in the behaviors and mindsets of the market vendors. In one striking but taken-for-granted moment, one vendor stepped away from their stall, leaving her produce unattended. Almost immediately, the neighboring vendor repositioned himself to monitor both stalls, responding to customers and handling small transactions in her absence. There was no spoken or written agreement, no payment, and no visible negotiation between the two. But this behavior was not accidental or surprising among the vendors. It was expected. Even while they compete to sell goods in the hope of leaving with empty crates at the end of the day, vendors also show care and cooperation. Care also appears in sharing money when someone runs short, extending goods on credit, offering advice on the best suppliers. These simple behaviors complicate an assumed boundary between market exchange and social relationships. In my mini-ethnography for Caribbean Anthropology, I realized how care and competition can co-exist within these interactions. Care is central to this economic activity, as anthropologists have also shown in contexts outside of capitalist economic systems. From the long history of proto-capitalism on the plantations of the modern Caribbean, to the economic changes within capitalism, and the rise of the informal economy, market relationships have often extended beyond direct economic exchange. In the 21st century, I saw how the vendors in this market in Trinidad were sustained through everyday practices of cooperation and trust.


By Shyan Rampersad