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The «Green Revolution» between Politics and Science
Die «grüne Revolution» zwischen Politik und Wissenschaft
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:38:06
Abstract
The seminar deals with the history of the "green revolution" in the 20th century. Based on historical sources, it provides insights into the both political and scientific debates about the modernisation, productivity, and sustainability of agricultural production.
Objective
The objective is to learn to understand and to analyze the social, economic and political dimensions of agricultural knowledge. Students learn to develop historical questions and arguments on the topic and to put current debates on agricultural production into historical perspective.
Content
Since the "Green Revolution" of the 1970s, international organisations and players in the agricultural industry have been promising that the global population could be fed through innovations in scientific and technological fields (genetic engineering, improved pesticide and fertiliser management, industrialisation). The often controversial knowledge claims between practitioners, politicians and scientists reflected opposing social, economic and political ideas. What were the tensions between local agricultural production methods and models of a globally oriented world food policy? How did the division of labor between machines, humans, and animals shift in regimes of industrialized agriculture? How did agriculture become a factor in national economic strategies? The seminar explores the different bodies of knowledge and counterknowledge that shaped the promises of productivity and sustainability in the 20th century. We will work with historical sources from agricultural, anthropological, economic, and other fields of knowledge and explore their social, economic, and political contexts. In addition, we would like to invite guests to the seminar who are currently and politically engaged with questions of agricultural productivity and sustainability.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 30
- Signup End
- 20.02.2024
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Die «grüne Revolution» zwischen Politik und Wissenschaft |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
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