Conference: 2018 International Sociological Association Congress | 15 – 21 July 2018

Location: Toronto, Canada

Title: Techno-politics in Agriculture and Food Under (and After?) Capitalism

Organizers: Katharine Legun, University of Otago, Madeleine Fairbairn, UC Santa-Cruz, Zenia Kish, Stanford 
Abstract: In food and farming, technology is both a site of capitalist expansion, and an arena of possible change. We invite papers that consider how technology is participating in our food and farming politics by, for example, altering agricultural knowledge production and governance, changing relationships among producers and consumers, or solidifying or challenging existing power relations. Technologies here is used expansively, including everything from biotechnology to mechanisation to algorithms to social networking. Papers should consider these topics within capitalism—either its reproduction or possibilities for its transgression. We hope that through this session we can elaborate on contemporary challenges to developing a socially just and environmentally sound food system, while also considering how new material infrastructures might be altering relations of production in meaningful ways.

The Organisers welcome abstracts to be submitted by September 30th, 2017 through the conference website. Please send inquiries to Katharine Legun.