Senses and artifacts in market transactions: the Korean case of agricultural produce auctions

This article examines the relationship between the senses, artifacts, and trade at South Korean agricultural produce auctions. It explores the impacts of market devices on sensory interactions between auctioneers and buyers that are essential to market transactions. Through ethnographic interviews and participant observations at Garak Market, Seoul, this study compares hand signal trading with electronic trading in agricultural produce auctions. It analyzes how the senses affect auction price estimation and formation, as well as their contribution to economic agency and social relationship among economic actors. The study then examines the impact of new market devices in electronic trading (e.g. trading screens, computer monitors, and wireless bidding terminals) on trading’s sensory aspects of seeing or hearing. It argues that the devices change the modality of sensory interactions between auctioneers and buyers. This transforms power struggles, forming a looser but more equal relationship between auctioneers and buyers and decreasing the overall auction price in the market.