| In this thesis I explore the ways in which linguistic and economic goods are exchanged and how their value is created and destroyed. The focus of my work is the Wholesale Fish Market in Cagliari, Italy, but the research extends further by situating the market in the global economy and discussing various modes of cultural exchange---especially economic and linguistic---which are undergoing dramatic change on the island. It is a project about the miraculous production of value and its catastrophic loss. It is about the power of language and memory in negotiation and in the manipulation of gender relations. It is a testimony to multiple voices and perspectives oftentimes not heard. It is an archeological exploration of practices---such as vulgar play, stealing and conning---that are ephemeral precisely because they belong to a changing economy, but also because they are often negatively charged and in conflict with the Italian code. |
