Genetically Modified Democracy: Transgenic Crops in Contemporary India

The debate over genetically modified crops in India is transforming science and politics, with advocates seeing them as crucial to feeding the world's growing population, while critics oppose them for pushing farmers deeper into ecological and economic distress. Anthropologist Aniket Aga excavates the genealogy of conflicts of interest and disputes over truth that animate the ongoing debate, illustrating how state, science, and agrarian capitalism interact in novel ways to transform how democracy is lived and understood.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 07 January 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

Genetically modified or transgenic crops are a subject of controversy worldwide. Supporters view them as essential for meeting the world's expanding population, while opponents argue that they exacerbate farmers' ecological and economic woes and strengthen the influence of agribusinesses. India stands out globally in terms of the intensity of its democratic engagement with transgenic crops. Anthropologist Aniket Aga delves into the genealogy of conflicts of interest and disputes over truth that shape the ongoing debate in India concerning the commercial release of transgenic food crops. This debate has the potential to reshape agriculture and food systems in a country already grappling with widespread agrarian distress and over 300,000 farmer suicides in the past two decades. Aga demonstrates how state, science, and agrarian capitalism interact in unique ways to redefine the experience of democracy and understanding in India, while also shedding light on the dynamics of technological change in diverse and unequal societies.

Genetically modified or transgenic crops are a subject of controversy worldwide. Supporters view them as essential for meeting the world's expanding population, while opponents argue that they exacerbate farmers' ecological and economic woes and strengthen the influence of agribusinesses. India stands out globally in terms of the intensity of its democratic engagement with transgenic crops. Anthropologist Aniket Aga delves into the genealogy of conflicts of interest and disputes over truth that shape the ongoing debate in India concerning the commercial release of transgenic food crops. This debate has the potential to reshape agriculture and food systems in a country already grappling with widespread agrarian distress and over 300,000 farmer suicides in the past two decades. Aga demonstrates how state, science, and agrarian capitalism interact in unique ways to redefine the experience of democracy and understanding in India, while also shedding light on the dynamics of technological change in diverse and unequal societies.

Genetically modified or transgenic crops are a subject of controversy worldwide. Supporters view them as essential for meeting the world's expanding population, while opponents argue that they exacerbate farmers' ecological and economic woes and strengthen the influence of agribusinesses. India stands out globally in terms of the intensity of its democratic engagement with transgenic crops. Anthropologist Aniket Aga delves into the genealogy of conflicts of interest and disputes over truth that shape the ongoing debate in India concerning the commercial release of transgenic food crops. This debate has the potential to reshape agriculture and food systems in a country already grappling with widespread agrarian distress and over 300,000 farmer suicides in the past two decades. Aga demonstrates how state, science, and agrarian capitalism interact in unique ways to redefine the experience of democracy and understanding in India, while also shedding light on the dynamics of technological change in diverse and unequal societies.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 147 x 223 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300245905