Annual South-North Exchange on Theory, Culture & Law (SNX)

Annual South-North Exchange on Theory, Culture & Law (SNX)

The Global Politics of Food: Sustainability and Subordination

Sponsored by: El Colegio de México,Latina and Latino Critical Legal Studies, Inc. ("LatCrit"), Sturm College of Law, University of Denver.

Mexico City, Mexico, May 1-3, 2008.

The South-North Exchange on Theory, Culture and Law ("SNX") met for the first time in 2003 to foster and sustain a trans-national, cross-disciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue on current issues in law, theory and culture. This Exchange consists of two parts: an annual encounter and, afterward, a scholarly publication based on the live proceedings. Both the "live" and published versions of the Exchange aim to bring the combined specialties of the participants to bear on a contemporary issue or topic of common interest across the Americas, with participants exchanging views, experiences, proposals and work through a series of interactive plenary sessions spanning several days. This year's SNX is on The Global Politics of Food.

The corporatization and globalization of food production and consumption continue apace, despite increasing evidence of their negative impacts on social, environmental, and human health. Hunger remains a seemingly intractable problem, caused not by lack of supply but by inequality and income disparities. Productivity has increased, but it has led to environmental deterioration and irrevocable losses of agro-biodiversity. Trade agreements often undermine the agricultural systems of small scale producers in developing regions, while benefiting large corporations. Low-priced exports to the South wreak havoc on those agricultural systems, and the latest technological fix, genetically modified crops, poses risks for human health and ecosystems alike. Food-related laws and policies that enhance the consumption styles of privileged classes in the U.S. and Canada compromise the health, safety, and wellbeing of low-income populations in both North and South America. Overfertilization and long-distance food shipping exacerbate the global energy crisis and contribute to rising obesity (due in part to the poor quality of irradiated food doused with preservatives to ensure long shelf-life). Yet policymakers ignore or actively obscure the complex global and hemispheric dimensions of food-related practices, and the media and public appear to be virtually oblivious of those dimensions. The SNX on The Global Politics of Food will provide an opportunity for legal scholars, social analysts, policymakers, and activists to critically examine the role of food policy in perpetuating the subordination of marginalized populations on a global scale, as well as the promise of the growing sustainability movement to address those inequalities.

The 2007 Exchange organizing committee invites paper proposals addressing:

1 – analyses of the international trade regime, food policy and the obstacles to the diffusion of sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries, as well as how the goals of food sovereignty can be dovetailed with the objectives of sustainable agricultural and food production;

2 – trade policy in the Americas, including its differential impact on workers in the North and South and comparative analyses of arguments proffered to justify that policy;

3 – how the ideologies of liberal individualism and free market fundamentalism obscure the relations of domination instantiated by food law and policy;

Also welcome are papers presenting:

4 – comparative analysis of consumption issues, such as corporate product-pushing in schools; regulation of product labeling; and corporate manipulation/cooptation of governmental advice on eating and health (eg, the U.S. "food pyramid");

5 – the law of informal or "street" food, including how the informal sector conditions food habits, diets and food quality; and

6 – the impact of advertising, North-South tourism and South-North labor migration on Southern diets and public health, as well as on the impact of transnational companies on food pricing, diets, and consumption habits.

Papers might focus on individual cases or compare two or several national or regional cases.

Local Arrangements: The venue for the gathering is El Colegio de México. The conference proceedings will be transmitted live on the Internet. Participants can stay at the Hotel Royal, a five star hotel close to El Colegio. (The rate for a room is 112 USD including local taxes.) Meals will be served at the hotel and transportation from there to El Colegio (and back) will be provided. Transportation from Mexico City's airport to the hotel costs approximately 20 USD by official taxi. Hotel telephone and FAX numbers will be posted soon on the LatCrit website: www.latcrit.org. Please check the website for further updates.

Program Coordinators: Nancy Ehrenreich, Professor of Law, Univ. of Denver, nehrenre@law.du.edu; Beth Lyon, Assoc. Professor of Law, Villanova University, lyon@law.villanova.edu; Alejandro Nadal, Professor of Economics, El Colegio de México, anadal@colmex.mx; Francisco Valdés, Professor of Law, Univ. of Miami, fvaldes@law.miami.edu.

Paper Proposals and Abstracts Should Be Sent To: Nancy Ehrenreich, nehrenre@law.du.edu and Beth Lyon, lyon@law.villanova.edu.

Practical Information/Questions (e.g. housing, transportation): Alejandro Nadal, anadal@colmex.mx.
 
 
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