The Sovereign Poison : Glyphosate, Poisoncraft, and Regulatory Politics.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Widger, Tom.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (263 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2026.

Summary:

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Growing concerns over pesticide exposure have fueled calls for stricter regulations. Yet governments--often constrained by the pressures of global markets--frequently fall short of implementing effective controls. The Sovereign Poison explores the failed efforts of both the European Parliament and the Sri Lankan government to ban glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide. Introducing the concept of "poisoncraft," Tom Widger delves into the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding poison that played a key role in these controversies, and traces humanity's long and complex relationship with toxic substances. Using a wide-angle anthropological lens, this book examines poison in its many forms--as a tool of witchcraft and magic, a language of value and exchange, a discourse of nationalist politics, and a foundational element of the global food system. By illuminating the intersections of science, politics, and regulation with public demands for sovereign control, Widger reveals the deeper cultural logics and power dynamics that underpin the global governance of pesticides.

Contents:

Cover

Title

Copyright

Subvention page

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction

Part I. Poisoncraft

1. Poisoncraft

2. The Worlds of European and South Asian Poisoncraft

Summary of Part I

Part II. Glyphosate and the Poisoncraft of European Unification

3. Poison and Deceit

4. Glyphosate, Bureaucratic Science, and the Idea of Europe

5. Regulatory Review and Sovereign Ignorance

6. Science and Solidarity for the 500 Million

Summary of Part II

Part III. The Poisoncraft of Sri Lanka's Postwar Recovery

7. Kidney Disease and the Glyphosate Question

8. The Poisoned Isle

9. In Search of Compound X

10. The Presidents' Purificatory Work

11. Lions and Sharks

Summary of Part III

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-520-97247-3

OCLC:

1574122152