“It’s Evolution Without Progress”: Techniques of Suspension in Martinique’s Coffee Revival Project

In Martinique, the “Coffee of Legends” project was launched with the ambitious goal of reviving the island’s historic coffee industry for a global debut at the 2020 Olympics. Yet, more than a decade since its inception, the initiative has produced almost no beans. Moving beyond simple narratives of “failure,” this talk examines how techniques of suspension - including scientific deferral, expert consultations, and a strategic pivot to cultural heritage - allow institutions to avancer (keep going) without actually gaining ground.

By mapping the clashing temporalities of global bureaucracy, local politics, and a changing climate, the presentation reveals how “stalled” projects perform the vital labor of holding open a future that refuses to arrive. Drawing on these tensions, this research introduces the concept of speculative endurance - a way of living through uncertainty where labor, care, and imagination are invested into futures that may never fully arrive. “Evolution Without Progress” demonstrates that in an increasingly uncertain world, the act of carrying on is a powerful form of cultural survival.

Speaker: Alyssa A. L. James, USC Society of Fellows in the Humanities