Ontology matters: The relational materiality of nature and agro-food studies

This paper examines the question of ontological choice in agro-food studies , and emphasizes that such choices are consequential, determining analytica l points of entry, arenas of theory and praxis, and normative positioning. These questions are explored by examining the privileged place of the labou r process in the development of agro-food studies and, as a more specific i llustration, in analyses of agro-biotechnology. It is suggested that the mo dernist ontological priorities embedded in the unreconstructed conceptualiz ation of the labour process not only have been ignored but also have found an unexamined place in post-structuralist agrarian political economy. The d iscussion closes by reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of actor-network theory as an alternative avenue of critical engagement with the 'new' bio- politics of agro-food networks.