The anatomy of tragedy: Starbucks as a politics of displacement

Purpose This paper examines the 2012–2013 Starbucks tax crisis in United Kingdom (UK) as an anatomy of tragedy. The tragedy relation to is displacement opportunity examine relationship between financial capital and national capitalisms. illustrates how displaced opportunities for substantive critique concerning capital, capitalisms, multinationals, taxation society. Design/methodology/approach As a critical, discursive intervention, rhetoric was employed 157 media articles published six UK newspapers on two news portals (both print online). employs rhetorical redescription document archive, presenting finding analysis play style Aristotelian Findings Analysis approach transfer pricing identifies misunderstandings accounting, pricing, ‘‘resolution” media's construction immoral, anti-British, potentially illegal operated confuse politics. effect these confusion take attention away from politics valorisation capitalisms (jurisdictions raising revenue government spending social services). Originality/value First, explores illustrate metonymic concealment primary identity political. Second, study present methods displacement. Third, empirics are depicted dramatic format interventions by actors political focus