The Seed: Environmental Justice and the Economy of Life

Catalog description

In this course, we will look at the world from the perspective of the humble seed. Seeds are among the most powerful agents in history, germinating entire civilizations. Seeds are fascinating source materials, genetic resources which are affected by cultivation, geography, generational change. Not least, seeds are a valued resource. Multinational companies have invested billions in cultivating miracle crops, and nation states have built enormous seed collections to plant their colonies or preserve biodiversity. Radical social movements have long since identified the collection, cultivation, manipulation, study, and planting of seeds as key to claims of sovereignty. The course will regard the history of agriculture, plant science, and capitalism with dual vision. First, we will explore the development of a knowledge economy of germplasm genetic resources such as seeds or animal tissue maintained for research purposes and the kinds of issues it raises: struggles over intellectual property rights, monocultures and their ecological hazards; the global weirding of genetic modification. We will then consider the role of seeds in advocating (food) sovereignty in Palestine, Ukraine, and the United States. Highlights from the syllabus: Maria Puig De La Bellacasa, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Vandana Shiva, Jumana Manna, Courtney Fullilove, Jack Kloppenburg, James Scott, Omar Tesdell, Xan Sarah Chacko, Katherine McKittrick, and Francesca Bray.