OF THE DISSERTATION THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IN OKLAHOMA CITY: TERRITORY, ... more OF THE DISSERTATION THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IN OKLAHOMA CITY: TERRITORY, POWER, AND POSSIBILITY by ERIC R. SARMIENTO Dissertation Director: Kevin St. Martin This dissertation examines the relationship between alternative food initiatives and urban processes through a case study of the statewide local food movement in Oklahoma and its cultural, political, and economic linkages with urban redevelopment in Oklahoma City. Building on literature in geography, urban studies, and food studies, the work deploys ethnographic, participatory, and archival field research to trace the development of the local food movement and redevelopment. The state’s local food movement has grown rapidly, with a number of firms demonstrating diverse operating models and relations of production, which seek to balance economic, ecological, and social goals in varying ways and to varying degrees. The movement has also benefited from increasing support from state agencies and other organiz...
Recent geographical scholarship has shown that the persecution and extermination of European Jews... more Recent geographical scholarship has shown that the persecution and extermination of European Jews during the Holocaust was associated with profound spatial transformations at every scale, from the ...
The purpose of this participatory research project is to examine the lived experiences (counter-l... more The purpose of this participatory research project is to examine the lived experiences (counter-life stories) of current and former Dunbar residents and congregants of Dunbar churches to demonstrate how local stories counter the dominant perspective about the experiences of American Americans in the Dunbar community. Once a thriving community at the center of civil rights activities in Hays County, Texas, the neighborhood has evolved in many ways in the past several decades, contrary to popular belief. This case study employs counter-life story methodology to uncover the hidden truths about Dunbar residents and congregants’ experiences to generate new knowledge about the experiences of African Americans in San Marcos, Texas, and Hays County. Thematic analysis of unfiltered commentary from Dunbar community members revealed three emergent themes: history of racism and slavery, impact of environmental and social racism, and rebuilding and restoring the community. Individual and shared ...
This paper draws on assemblage thinking-especially Deleuze and Guattari's conception of territori... more This paper draws on assemblage thinking-especially Deleuze and Guattari's conception of territorialization-to analyze urban redevelopment processes in Oklahoma City, a mid-sized city in the central United States that has pursued a culturally led, ''entrepreneurial'' approach to redevelopment. Focusing on the linkages between architecture, sport, and local food in the city, I demonstrate some of the ways in which these realms were woven together in support of the territorial expansion of redevelopment. Following recent research on affect in human geography, I argue that the interweaving of these realms involved careful attention to the material capacities of buildings, athletic bodies, and foods to generate a sense of excitement, pride in place, self-worth, and above all movement in the city. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the implications of this analysis for the politics of redevelopment and some suggestions for future research.
In this paper we argue that English drought management rests on two imaginaries of hydrocitizensh... more In this paper we argue that English drought management rests on two imaginaries of hydrocitizenship: an economic/instrumental imaginary that frames people primarily as "customers," and an imaginary that focuses more on the affectively charged, personal engagements between individuals and "hydrosocial" spaces. These imaginaries, we contend, roughly correspond with the two modalities of a form of governance referred to by Michel Foucault as biopower: biopolitics and discipline. Drawing on fieldwork conducted as part of a large interdisciplinary research project on drought in the UK, we sketch the contours of English drought management, exploring in particular the "macro-scale" elements of drought management (the biopolitical modality), premised on computer simulation modelling, and the elements of drought management that focus on the level of individual people (the disciplinary modality), premised in part on the work of local environmental organisations. The difference between the two notions of hydrocitizenship informing these two modalities of management, we conclude, produces tensions that potentially undermine water governance as it is currently organised in the UK. Ultimately, our goal in the paper is not solely to expose or critique existing governance efforts or the power relations therein, but rather to examine the interplay of governmentalities that constitute drought management in order to illuminate and expand the potential for "being governed differently." K E Y W O R D S biopolitics, drought management, England, environmental governance, ethnography, Foucault
As ecologically and socially oriented food initiatives proliferate, the significance of these ini... more As ecologically and socially oriented food initiatives proliferate, the significance of these initiatives with respect to conventional food systems remains unclear. This paper addresses the transformative potential of alternative food networks (AFNs) by drawing on insights from recent research on food and embodiment, diverse food economies, and more-than-human food geographies. I identify several synergies between these literatures, including an emphasis on the pedagogic capacities of AFNs; the role of the researcher; and the analytical and political value of using assemblage and actor-network thinking to understand the far-reaching forces and power disparities confronting proponents of more ethical and sustainable food futures. Drake for their invaluable feedback. All shortcomings of the work however are my responsibility alone.
OF THE DISSERTATION THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IN OKLAHOMA CITY: TERRITORY, ... more OF THE DISSERTATION THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IN OKLAHOMA CITY: TERRITORY, POWER, AND POSSIBILITY by ERIC R. SARMIENTO Dissertation Director: Kevin St. Martin This dissertation examines the relationship between alternative food initiatives and urban processes through a case study of the statewide local food movement in Oklahoma and its cultural, political, and economic linkages with urban redevelopment in Oklahoma City. Building on literature in geography, urban studies, and food studies, the work deploys ethnographic, participatory, and archival field research to trace the development of the local food movement and redevelopment. The state’s local food movement has grown rapidly, with a number of firms demonstrating diverse operating models and relations of production, which seek to balance economic, ecological, and social goals in varying ways and to varying degrees. The movement has also benefited from increasing support from state agencies and other organiz...
Recent geographical scholarship has shown that the persecution and extermination of European Jews... more Recent geographical scholarship has shown that the persecution and extermination of European Jews during the Holocaust was associated with profound spatial transformations at every scale, from the ...
The purpose of this participatory research project is to examine the lived experiences (counter-l... more The purpose of this participatory research project is to examine the lived experiences (counter-life stories) of current and former Dunbar residents and congregants of Dunbar churches to demonstrate how local stories counter the dominant perspective about the experiences of American Americans in the Dunbar community. Once a thriving community at the center of civil rights activities in Hays County, Texas, the neighborhood has evolved in many ways in the past several decades, contrary to popular belief. This case study employs counter-life story methodology to uncover the hidden truths about Dunbar residents and congregants’ experiences to generate new knowledge about the experiences of African Americans in San Marcos, Texas, and Hays County. Thematic analysis of unfiltered commentary from Dunbar community members revealed three emergent themes: history of racism and slavery, impact of environmental and social racism, and rebuilding and restoring the community. Individual and shared ...
This paper draws on assemblage thinking-especially Deleuze and Guattari's conception of territori... more This paper draws on assemblage thinking-especially Deleuze and Guattari's conception of territorialization-to analyze urban redevelopment processes in Oklahoma City, a mid-sized city in the central United States that has pursued a culturally led, ''entrepreneurial'' approach to redevelopment. Focusing on the linkages between architecture, sport, and local food in the city, I demonstrate some of the ways in which these realms were woven together in support of the territorial expansion of redevelopment. Following recent research on affect in human geography, I argue that the interweaving of these realms involved careful attention to the material capacities of buildings, athletic bodies, and foods to generate a sense of excitement, pride in place, self-worth, and above all movement in the city. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the implications of this analysis for the politics of redevelopment and some suggestions for future research.
In this paper we argue that English drought management rests on two imaginaries of hydrocitizensh... more In this paper we argue that English drought management rests on two imaginaries of hydrocitizenship: an economic/instrumental imaginary that frames people primarily as "customers," and an imaginary that focuses more on the affectively charged, personal engagements between individuals and "hydrosocial" spaces. These imaginaries, we contend, roughly correspond with the two modalities of a form of governance referred to by Michel Foucault as biopower: biopolitics and discipline. Drawing on fieldwork conducted as part of a large interdisciplinary research project on drought in the UK, we sketch the contours of English drought management, exploring in particular the "macro-scale" elements of drought management (the biopolitical modality), premised on computer simulation modelling, and the elements of drought management that focus on the level of individual people (the disciplinary modality), premised in part on the work of local environmental organisations. The difference between the two notions of hydrocitizenship informing these two modalities of management, we conclude, produces tensions that potentially undermine water governance as it is currently organised in the UK. Ultimately, our goal in the paper is not solely to expose or critique existing governance efforts or the power relations therein, but rather to examine the interplay of governmentalities that constitute drought management in order to illuminate and expand the potential for "being governed differently." K E Y W O R D S biopolitics, drought management, England, environmental governance, ethnography, Foucault
As ecologically and socially oriented food initiatives proliferate, the significance of these ini... more As ecologically and socially oriented food initiatives proliferate, the significance of these initiatives with respect to conventional food systems remains unclear. This paper addresses the transformative potential of alternative food networks (AFNs) by drawing on insights from recent research on food and embodiment, diverse food economies, and more-than-human food geographies. I identify several synergies between these literatures, including an emphasis on the pedagogic capacities of AFNs; the role of the researcher; and the analytical and political value of using assemblage and actor-network thinking to understand the far-reaching forces and power disparities confronting proponents of more ethical and sustainable food futures. Drake for their invaluable feedback. All shortcomings of the work however are my responsibility alone.
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