Abstract

The persistence of neoliberal food systems has often been explained with reference to political economy dynamics or the market and political activities of agri-food companies. This article approaches the issue from a different level of analysis and asks: how do the everyday lives of people sustain neoliberal foodscapes? The article utilizes an Everyday Political Economy approach, combined with Smith and Rochovská's (2007) concept of 'domesticating neoliberalism', and applies this to the study of the sale of ultra-processed foods by small corner shops (tiendas) in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca de Juárez. The article argues that tienda owners respond to the increasing power of UPF corporations by maintaining neoliberal foodscapes as they seek to support themselves in challenging socio-economic circumstances. This perspective is important in advancing thinking for solutions to transition away from commodified, profit-orientated and ecologically destructive food systems because it situates the everyday as the site for intervention and calls attention to the broader material conditions of people's lives as they are forced to 'make do' within neoliberal worlds.

Keywords: everyday political economy, Mexico, ultra-processed food, food systems, neoliberalism

How to Cite:

Ismail, A., (2025) “Domesticating neoliberal foodscapes: An everyday approach to understanding food system transitions in Oaxaca, Mexico”, Journal of Political Ecology 32(1): 5843. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.5843