Beads, Bodies, and Trash merges cultural sociology with a commodity chain analysis by following Mardi Gras beads to their origins. Beginning with Bourbon Street of New Orleans, this book moves to the grim factories in the tax-free economic zone of rural Fuzhou, China, to dump sites where beads are disposed. Beads, Bodies, and Trash also examines the properties of beads - their chemical, labor, and consumer elements. With a companion documentary, Mardi Gras Made in China, this book introduces readers to recording technologies as possible research tools.

Download the first chapter of Beads, Bodies, and Trash here.