“The pesticides burned the grass and the know-how”: Farmers’ oral history and chemoethnography of Swiss Jura slowly violent waterscapes

Willemin, Rémi; Backhaus, Norman

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103875

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…In their study of the Swiss rural context, Willemin and Backhaus introduce the concept of slow violence to capture the gradual, unseen, and delayed destruction of agricultural knowledge and plant species dispersed across time and space [10]. Grandia uses the same expression related to Guatemala area [11].…”

Section: Pesticides and Power Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pesticide: A Contemporary Cultural Object

Fusar Poli,

Fontefrancesco

2024

Encyclopedia

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The article provides a narrative review of the social and cultural interpretation of pesticides in contemporary society. In so doing, it highlights the main fields of exploration investigated by social scientists concerning the perception and role played by these products among farmers and consumers. Following the WHO definition, pesticides are chemical compounds used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi, and unwanted plants. They are contemporary cultural artefacts that social sciences explore in synergy with other disciplines to highlight their socio-cultural connections at both local and global levels. Specifically, the use of these products is connected with power relations, which are embedded in and reflect imbalances and inequalities in access to rights and resources, as well as specific articulation of the perception of risk arising from environmental contamination in terms of individual and collective psychophysical health. Furthermore, pesticides fit into various environmental conceptions and multiple local knowledge systems, representing the intersection of different cultural heritages, worldviews, and rationales that make the tradition–modernity dichotomy complex and dynamic. In this respect, therefore, pesticides can be understood not just as mere tools for agricultural practice but as vital windows through which to investigate multiple layers of meaning to support transitions towards sustainable pest management systems, both environmentally and socio-culturally.

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Section: Pesticides and Power Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%