Agrarian Change Seminar

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Join us for the Agrarian Change Seminar on Mar 12, 4 – 5.30pm. We’re diving deep into the topic of Agrarian Extractivism with Alberto Alonso-Fradejas from the Rural Sociology Group. Whether online or in-person at Wageningen University (Room 68, Leeuwenborch building), you won’t want to miss this insightful discussion, jointly hosted with UCL Institute of the Americas.

About the seminar: What is agrarian extractivism and why does it matter? The historical and growing global interest on natural resources for business, poverty alleviation, food security and increasingly for climate change mitigation purposes is putting a huge burden on human and non-human nature. Particularly, more, and more intensive forms of agro-commodity production are fueling crises of social and ecological reproduction worldwide that are very hard to counter or ‘mitigate’, let alone roll back. These ‘extractivist’ features of some forms of agrarian capitalism today, and of others before, resonate with the rationales and the workings of the mining oil and gas sectors. Thus, the notion of ‘agrarian extractivism’ or ‘agro-extractivism’ is arguably gaining currency as an analytical category with the potential to enhance our understanding of agrarian and environmental change historically and across the Global South-North and East-West world divides. Now, how is agrarian extractivism any different from agro-industry? Is there only one form or model of agro-extractivism? And is agrarian extractivism just about the deepening of the metabolic rift between agriculture and Nature? In short, what do we talk about when we talk about agrarian extractivism and why does it matter? Find out the answers and much more at this thought-provoking seminar!

Save the date and don’t miss this opportunity to delve into a crucial topic shaping our global agricultural landscape.

Join Zoom Meeting using this link
Meeting ID: 867 3193 1853
Passcode: 553018

Read more about this seminar series here.

Event | Exploring solidarity, feminisms, and futures – an interactive workshop for International Women’s Day!

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Are cows better represented in the CAP than women? Does addressing the gender pay gap increase consumerism?

Join us for a dynamic and thought-provoking discussion on propositions related to the future of feminism. Our goal? To craft a concise manifesto for Women’s Day 2024!

Date: Friday, March 8th, 2024
Time: 12:30 – 13:30
Venue: Impulse, Building 115, Wageningen Campus

Hosted by Jessica Duncan, Georgia Diamanti, Margriet Goris & Marije van Santen of the Rural Sociology Group.

WASS Course | Agrarian, Environmental and Food Citizenship

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Issues surrounding agriculture, the environment, and food systems have become central in public debate. This graduate-level course presents a unique opportunity for students to explore these debates through the lens of citizenship and its role in shaping fair and just agricultural, environmental, and food systems.

Key topics include:
>>Approaches and debates to citizenship and its relevance to contemporary agricultural, environmental, and food practices
>> Case studies highlighting successful initiatives and challenges in democratizing agricultural, environmental and food practices
>> The role of grassroots movements in practising inclusive citizenship

Throughout the course, students will develop critical thinking skills and analytical tools to assess the complexities of democratization efforts in these domains. By the end of the course, participants will gain a nuanced understanding of the role citizenship plays in shaping fair and just agricultural, environmental, and food systems, and will be equipped with insights to contribute meaningfully to ongoing debates and practices in this field.

The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon insights from political science, rural sociology, environmental studies, and agrarian studies. Through engaging lectures, discussions, readings, and case studies, participants will examine various dimensions of agrarian, environmental and food citizenship.

This course is intended for students doing a research master’s, PhDs, postdocs, and staff members who want to expand their engagement with the democratization of our agrarian, environmental and food practices and the citizenship approach to this.

More info here.

Course | Beyond Sustainability: theorizing post- & anti-capitalist food futures | Period 6

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Drawing your attention to a free choice course starting in P6 this academic year – RSO58806 Beyond Sustainability: Theorizing Post- & Anti-Capitalist Food Futures

The course is co-taught by Rural Sociology (Mark Vicol and Oona Morrow), Cultural Geography (Chizu Sato) and Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (Katherine Legun) staff. The focus of the course is a deep dive into radical theories that conceptualize post- and anti-capitalist transitions beyond a technocratic understanding of sustainability.

This course examines radical and critical theories of change that explicitly challenge the dominant capitalist global food system. In the course we seek to problematize and re-theorize often taken for granted categories that the status quo of our food system is built around – sustainability; technology; production; economy; growth; and capitalism itself. Food and food systems are deeply political, shaped by historical structures. Yet, food systems are also shaped by the everyday practices of human and non-human actors. The course therefore does not adopt an a-priori ontology of food system change, but rather explores radical theory across the structure-agency divide.Engaging with key readings and texts, we examine theoretical approaches including Marxist political economy, diverse economies, science and technology studies, more-than-human approaches and feminist political ecology. Each week, we discuss a theoretical approach in relation to four cross-cutting themes of food system change:property; labour; ecology; and technology. In the course we also critically examine the role of the neoliberal university in realizing just food futures. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to discover and develop their own theoretical framework for radical change. In the final week of the course, students are tasked with applying theory to creatively imagine their own post anti-capitalist food future.

Be sure to check out this video featuring Mark Vicol, where he provides additional insights into the course:

Rural Sociology: Passionate@Work – Anke de Vrieze

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Discover the heartbeat of our workplace in the video series “Rural Sociology: Passionate@Work”. Join us as team members share the driving forces that make working at the Rural Sociology Group a fulfilling experience. From shared values to exciting projects, get an inside look at what fuels our enthusiasm and commitment.

In our fourth episode, we showcase Anke de Vrieze, who shares her enthusiasm for fostering collaborative processes and innovative methods. Anke is actively involved in the Transformative Learning Hub at the Centre for Space, Place and Society. Feel free to visit their website if want to know more, click here.