A short presentation by Pei Jiang (PhD Candidate, Dept of Geography, University of Cambridge) on Biopolitics of Breeding: An Investigation into Herbicide-Resistant Foxtail Millet in China followed by a Q&A and discussion with the speaker. Chaired by Professor Martin Jones, Dept of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
Coffee Break Seminars are a relaxed learning and discussion forum for our food security community that take place every Friday during term time at 2pm, UK time.
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Abstract:
Aohan, Inner Mongolia, China, is believed to be the centre of origin of foxtail millet, with about an 8,000-year history of millet cultivation. This research is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Aohan. With an example of the introduction of herbicide-resistant foxtail millet, this research analyses the biopower of seed breeding governmentality, where the dynamics of life (encompassing both seeds and humans) are interwoven with reproductive activities. To be more specific, the development of agrobiotechnology has empowered breeders to manipulate and control the organic properties and life processes of seeds and plants. This capability extends from generating knowledge at the molecular and individual levels to understanding species populations. This manipulation essentially serves the purpose of economic value creation and accumulation.
Speaker:
Pei Jiang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge. She studies the critical political ecology of the agrifood system and agrarian change. Her PhD focuses on the biopower/biopolitics in the commodification of foxtail millet seeds in Aohan, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Email: pj344@cam.ac.uk.