Political ecology general

Question 1

ANT in Political Ecology and seeds.
* ANT & STS framework: agricultural systems are the product of human/non-human actants and involve ‘hybrids’ (neither nature nor culture)
* Goes beyond simplistic critiques of local exclusion or essentialising local knowledges
* We need a framework that can negotiate the interplay between environmental, technological, scientific, political and economic factors
* Critiques: ANT ignores inequality and who wins/loses, and does not identify structural parallels. Also, how can it fit into PE, which is a discipline rooted in human exceptionalism and historical materialism?

Answer 1

Watts & Scales (2015)

Question 2

Case study of ANT through lawns in the USA.
Lawns are socio-cultural phenomena combining aesthetic values with a competitive fertiliser market pushing the idea of a ‘perfect lawn.’
But they are also a network enrolling grasses, weeds, owners, gardeners etc, making demands for care, water and nutrients
Non-human agents can shape/constrain human decisions/practices

Answer 2

Robbins (2007)

Question 3

Case study: hybrid knowledges, Folk Ecology Initative, Kenya.

Answer 3

Ramisch (2011)