ABSTRACT

A first version of this paper was written for the international conference on ‘Food Sovereignty: A Critical Dialogue’ held at Yale University, 14-15 September 2013. I am grateful to Jens Lerche and Edouard Morena for recent stimulating conversations on this and associated themes, and to two anonymous reviewers of the first draft. The version published here had to be submitted in advance of the conference, and would have been further revised in the light of its stimulating exchanges. I am also fortunate to have received comments on the original draft (both before and after it was revised) from Jairus Banaji, Jun Borras, Andries Du Toit, Deborah Johnston, Deborah Levenson Estrada, Peter Mollinga, Bridget O’Laughlin, Carlos Oya, Pauline Peters and Phil Woodhouse. Taken together they offered many valuable suggestions and asked pointed questions, which (always the way?) pulled in different directions. Several of those named asked (in the words of one of them): ‘now that we are convinced that these FS theorists are wrong, now what?’. Indeed, and the work of analysis, understanding and ‘critical dialogue’ continues. Of course, I remain solely responsible for shortcomings of exposition and argument.