Exploring the Tomato : Transformations of Nature, Society and Economy

Beynon, Huw, Harvey, Mark, Quilley, Stephen

ISBN 10: 1843761890 / ISBN 13: 9781843761891

Published by Elgar Publishing, Incorporated, Edward, 2002

About this Item

Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.

Seller Inventory # 15842431-20

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Exploring the Tomato : Transformations of Nature, Society and Economy
• Publisher: Elgar Publishing, Incorporated, Edward
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843761890
• ISBN 13: 9781843761891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: illustrated edition.
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Exploring the Tomato engages with an apparently simple fruit in order to reveal major changes to society and economy. It treats the tomato as an object of fascination and as a probe into major historical changes in twentieth century capitalism.

From first domestication to genetic modification, from Aztec salsa to supermarket pizza, the tomato has been continually transformed in the ways it has been produced, exchanged and consumed. This book explores what brings about a variety that is at once biological, historical and socio-economic. A conceptual framework of 'instituted economic process' demonstrates how different tomato forms are an expression of dynamic processes in capitalist economies and societies during the twentieth century. As both an early pioneer in mass production and a contemporary contributor to the creation of global cuisines, the tomato has been subject to intense innovation. Computerised total ecologies under glass, producing fresh tomatoes of all shapes, colours and sizes, compete with sun and southern climates across the world. To enter the variety of tomato worlds is to discover the variety of capitalism.

Written in an accessible style, this book makes a major contribution to the emerging field of economic sociology and to our understanding of the innovation process. It should be read by anyone concerned with social science, particularly economists and sociologists, as well as those interested in food and the history of food.

About the Author

Mark Harvey, Professor and Director, Centre for Research in Economic Sociology and Innovation, Department of Sociology, University of Essex, UK, Stephen Quilley, University of Waterloo, Canada and Huw Beynon, Director, School of Social Sciences, University of Cardiff, UK