MEAT meets Stathis Arapostathis – March 22, 2023, 2.30-4pm CET
Focusing on the case of chicken this talk studies a. the material entanglements and sociotechnical path dependencies in meat and egg production in Greece the last seventy years, b. the social and political setting that shaped the emergence of an emphasis on sustainable production and the environment the last twenty years and its appropriations from the industry. I argue that industrial based poultry emerged and shaped from 1950 to 1990 through the important contributions by farming collectives and the establishment of an imaginary that promoted the scientification and “rationalization” of production, and an emphasis on productivity. Vaccines, food additives, antibiotics as food supplements promoted by experts, farming communities, and corporate actors as the technological fixes. The fixes were introduced to respond to the quest of productivity, to the emphasis on the nutritional importance of protein for humans, and to the political priorities of self-sufficiency. I argue that sociotechnical networks and material entanglements functioned technopolitically and bounded any shift toward sustainable meat production. They configured the conceptualization of sustainability and the relevant policies the last 20 years. Sustainability in meat and egg production was promoted along process of assetization of food and the creation of niche markets and attempts to create not just commodities but products with specific identity and nutritional value. Technosciences have played key role in shaping visions and in configuring valorization of new products.
This webinar series takes place Wednesdays 2.30-4pm CET. It is organised by the Norwegian Research Council funded project MEATigation: Towards sustainable meat-use in Norwegian food practices for climate mitigation.
The webinars bring together different disciplinary perspectives to discuss meat, meat replacements and alternative proteins in the context of climate change, food and animal studies and animal ethics.
We invite you to register your interest in participation in order for us to connect with people interested in our work. Zoom links will be available on our website and circulated by email, one day before the meeting.
To sign up register here.