Description
Book SynopsisAmalia Leguizamón reveals how the Argentine state, agribusiness, and their allies in the media and sciences deploy narratives of economic redistribution, scientific expertise, and national identity as a way to gain the public’s consent to grow genetically modified soybeans despite the massive environmental and social costs.
Trade Review“Clearly written and superbly argued, this fabulous book manages to accomplish that quite difficult task of engaging readers interested in the specificities of the case
and those interested in larger theoretical issues.
Seeds of Power is so well written that it puts readers in the different scenes, making us think about the invisible workings of power and about the ways in which we can go about detecting the daily production of political domination. Brava!” -- Javier Auyero, coauthor of * In Harm’s Way: The Dynamics of Urban Violence *
“Making important contributions to sociology while remaining highly accessible,
Seeds of Power has the potential to reach beyond the ivory tower and to teach and influence the public. It is a beautiful example of public sociology.” -- Shannon Elizabeth Bell, author of * Fighting King Coal: The Challenges to Micromobilization in Central Appalachia *
“Leguizamón presents a thoughtful, well-argued, and clearly presented book grounded in the intersection of culture, economics, and history that is fitting for both academic and non-academic audiences.” -- Stephen J. Scanlan * Social Forces *
“In her excellent book,
Seeds of Power, Amalia Leguizamón has focused on less-studied social groups as well as subaltern rural peoples.... Hers is a rare academic book that is accessible yet theoretically sophisticated.” -- Mario L. Cardozo * Journal of Latin American Geography *
“
Seeds of Power offers important insights on the complex dynamics of power and compliance and how they can play out in a broad national context.... It offers an exceptional mix of scholarship and storytelling, and deserves to be widely read.” -- Brian Tokar * CounterPunch *
“
Seeds of Power will be very useful for social scientists working at the intersection of rural studies, environmental justice and social science. In addition, it is elegantly written, in such a way that no prior academic knowledge is required to appreciate its content.” -- Pierre Delvenne * Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies *
“Leguizamón . . . engages with sociological discussions of risk and environmental justice to focus her study on those who bear the unequal weight of the Argentinian soy boom. . . . [
Seeds of Power] offer[s] novel perspectives on the relationship of the soy complex to broader political configurations.” -- Matthew Abel * Nature Plants *
“
Seeds of Power breaks new ground . . . by revealing the intersection of class, gender, race/ethnicity, and rural/urban inequalities in the political economy and political culture that renders the environmental injustice associated with soybean expansion in Argentina invisible. . . . Books like this [are] not only necessary but urgent.” -- Renata Motta * American Journal of Sociology *
“Leguizamón’s
Seeds of Power is a beautifully written, nuanced, complex, yet easy to read and honest look at the heart of Argentina's soy producing region, the Pampas.” -- Zoe W. Brent * Journal of Agrarian Change *
Table of ContentsAcronyms ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1. The Roots of the Soy Model 29
2. Revolution in the Pampas 59
3. The Elephant in the Field 92
4. Against the Grain 112
Conclusion 139
Notes 151
Bibliography 177
Index
