Between the Blossoms and the Pits: Navigating Precarity and Tradition in “The Cherry Capital of the World”

Abstract

This thesis examines the Northwest Michigan cherry community enduring the multifaceted crises of this decade. By working on a farm and engaging with a diverse range of growers, their attitudes and histories, I have uncovered the tensions surrounding familial, systemic, and emotional dimensions that afflict this region’s culture. Cherries represent Leelanau County’s identity emblem, centered around their primary commodity. I intend to explore how primarily fourth and fifth-generation farmers perceive and respond to the shifting climate, the urgent economic challenges stemming from globalized imports and declining cherry demand, labor shortages, and uncertain succession, as well as their views on the future through concepts of failure, legacy, and purpose. I utilize assemblage to capture the dynamic array of influences, employing theoretical frameworks such as runaway change, commodity fetishism, alienation, vocational “calling,” and habitus to understand the complexities among these various factors.