IV ISA Forum of Sociology (February 23-28, 2021)

JS-27

Social Movements As Protagonists of New Agrifood Markets Part I

Abstract Submissions Closed

RC40 Sociology of Agriculture and Food (host committee)
RC47 Social Classes and Social Movements
RC48 Social Movements, Collective Actions and Social Change

Language: English

Session Type: Oral

Social movements have become protagonists in the restructuring of the agrifood system. This is not only due to the criticism they build of the oligopolization and financialization of food markets. Increasingly, the social movement's repertoires of action also include the construction of new organizational structures and institutional devices, from which they seek to disseminate political and moral principles that question the idea of food as a pure commodity or financial asset. This process of political construction of markets reveals that, rather than an impersonal and abstract structure that operates with a universally preconceived logic, they are concrete social arenas where the visible hands of different actors compete to organize relations and economic practices according to their interests and values. This session proposes a dialogue of approaches from the sociology of agriculture, social movement theories, public policies analysis, and economic sociology, with the aim of understanding how different social movements – from the traditional agrarian movements to the new food consumption collectives – are building social and political engagement to support civic food markets. The session is interested in discussing conceptual approaches such as alternative food networks, food movements, food democracy, food citizenship, prosumers and prosumerism, and other concepts used to describe such politicization of food production, marketing and consumption. It also invites works that critically debate this issues taking into account dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in terms of class, race, gender, citizenship, that is, the emancipatory possibilities of such social movements.