Theorizing Food Sovereignty From a Class Analytical Lens: The Case of Agrarian Mobilization in Argentina

• In Event: 485 - Section on Sociology of Development Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Inequality, Poverty, and Mobilization

Abstract

As a newly flourishing research agenda, food sovereignty generates heated debates that have been escalating since 2014. Conceptual ambiguities reside at the center of major discussions on food sovereignty. This article critically reviews key controversies on theorizing food sovereignty. The discussion is extended to the sparse literature on agrarian mobilization in Argentina with the aim of not only presenting a fuller account of the state of this relatively young literature but also demonstrating how remedial theoretical interventions can apply to practical problems. My assessment suggests that a class-informed approach can simultaneously capture agrarian class differentiation and homogenization, while in the mean time setting tangible standards for the inclusivity of movement alliances, local-national tensions and state-movement interactions. This paper also advises against the use of fixed formulas to assess food sovereignty, profile its target population and regulate relationships with the state. Rather, excessive conceptual rigidity may obstruct a clear understanding of how the balance of class forces and historical conditions in a given geography configure the form and content of food sovereignty movements. People’s awareness of their own material grievances are an important factor in agrarian mobilization. However, the literature also highlights that material grievances do not translate into agrarian mobilization only by themselves. Collective action is triggered when a number of mediating determinants come into play including cultural grievances, state-society relations and leadership dynamics. This calls for a comprehensive framework that can take into account the multi-scalar and multi-faceted character of food sovereignty movements in all their complexity.

Author

• Efe Can Gurcan, Simon Fraser University