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Farming from a Process‐Relational Perspective: Making Openings for Change Visible
Author(s) -
Darnhofer Ika
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sociologia ruralis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.005
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1467-9523
pISSN - 0038-0199
DOI - 10.1111/soru.12294
Subject(s) - embeddedness , materialism , sociology , perspective (graphical) , anthropocentrism , agency (philosophy) , technological determinism , epistemology , essentialism , affordance , process (computing) , structure and agency , determinism , politics , social science , environmental ethics , political science , computer science , anthropology , artificial intelligence , operating system , philosophy , human–computer interaction , law
Abstract The theoretical debates in sociology have highlighted the strengths, but also the limitations of perspectives building on, anthropocentrism, essentialism, or structural determinism. One school of thought that strives to overcome such limitations is relational sociology. The aim of this article is to explore how a process‐relational perspective can offer a new conceptual framework for farm‐level studies in rural sociology. It is an invitation to view the world as a tissue of interactions, of dynamic and often unpredictable processes. By injecting a dose of new materialism and thereby extending agency to nonhumans, the liveliness of nature and technology is also taken into account. Yet, reconceptualising farming in relational terms is not just a theoretical but also a political project: it spurs different imaginations, making other worlds thinkable. This would enable to show ever‐present openings for more socially just and environmentally friendly farming practices.