Globalizing Organic

Rafi Grosglik

Description

Globalizing Organic focuses on the globalization of a culture of "eating for change" and the ways in which local meanings attached to the production of foods embed ecological and social values. Rafi Grosglik examines how organic agriculture was integrated in Israel—a state in which agriculture was a key mechanism in promoting Jewish nationalism and in time has become highly mechanized and technologically sophisticated. He explores how organic food, which signifies environmental protection and social equity, has been realized in a country where environmental issues are perceived as less pressing compared to inner political conflicts, the Israeli-Arab conflict, and recurrent wars. Based on more than a decade of ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and analysis of historical documents and media, Grosglik traces how alternative food movements are affected by global and local trends. He covers a wide range of topics, including the ethos of halutzim ("pioneers," Zionist ideological farmers and workers), the utopian visions of the Israeli kibbutz, indigeneity that is claimed both by Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank, biblical meanings that have been ascribed to environmental and countercultural ideas, the Americanization of Israeli society, and its neoliberalized economy.
List of Illustrations
Abbreviations
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Organic Hummus

1. "If Organic Agriculture Is Here—Homeland Is Here"

2. Organic Food Across Borders

3. Organic Start-Ups

4. Organic in the City, Organic in the Kibbutz

5. Translating Organic

Conclusion: Glocal Organic

Notes
References
Index

Sujets

• Israël
• History of the Middle East
• Israel
• Sociology

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438481579
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Globalizing Organic
Globalizing Organic
Nationalism, Neoliberalism, and Alternative Food in Israel
RAFI GROSGLIK
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2021 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Name: Grosglik, Rafi, author.
Title: Globalizing organic : nationalism, neoliberalism, and alternative food in Israel / Rafi Grosglik.
Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020024656 | ISBN 9781438481555 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438481579 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Organic farming—Social aspects—Israel. | Organic farming—Political aspects—Israel. | Natural foods—Social aspects—Israel. | Natural foods—Political aspects—Israel.
Classification: LCC S605.5 .G76 2021 | DDC 631.5/84—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020024656
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations
Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Organic Hummus
Chapter 1 “If Organic Agriculture Is Here—Homeland Is Here”
Chapter 2 Organic Food Across Borders
Chapter 3 Organic Start-Ups
Chapter 4 Organic in the City, Organic in the Kibbutz
Chapter 5 Translating Organic
Conclusion: Glocal Organic
Notes
References
Index
Illustrations
Figure I.1 Aba Gil: Organic hummus.
Figure I.2 Eden Hummus Bar in Tel-Aviv: Fast-food organic hummus.
Figure I.3 The placemat from Eden Teva Market. The title of the text says: “Eden Hummus Bar: King David was born—thanks to … hummus!!”
Figure 1.1 Levi’s shack, Sde Eliyahu.
Figure 1.2 Organic pomegranate vineyard, Sde Eliyahu.
Figure 1.3 Bio-Tour: Levi at work—wall painting, Sde Eliyahu.
Figure 2.1 A Givo’t Olam truck parked in the parking lot of a branch of a conventional supermarket chain at the Gush Etzion Junction.
Figure 3.1 “Green Field: Organic Vegetables”—A sign at the entrance of a CSA farm with a depiction of “Zionist pioneers.”
Figure 3.2 CSA in Israel: “Premium tomatoes—organic.”
Figure 3.3 Boutiquization of organic food: Small-scale organic farm, Sharon Plain.
Figure 3.4 Boutique farming: Small-scale organic farm, Sharon Plain.
Figure 4.1 Eden Teva Market, Tel Aviv.
Figure 4.2 Flyers—“Harduf (HOFP) brand products”: conventionalization of organic food in Israel.
Figure 5.1 Organic supermarket in Israel.
Abbreviations
CSA Community-Supported Agriculture
IBOAA Israel Bio-Organic Agriculture Association
IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
MARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Israel)
NOS National Organic Standards (USA)
NOSP National Organic Standards Program (USA)
OFCA Organic Food Consumers Association (Israel)
PPIS Plant Protection and Inspection Services (Israel)
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
Acknowledgments
Writing acknowledgments is the most enjoyable part in the book compilation process. It takes the author back through the sequence of encouragements, guidance, and generosity of so many interviewees, interlocutors, family members, friends, teachers, and colleagues. In the years since I started working on the research for this book, I have lived in three different cities in two continents and in two countries: Israel, a semi-periphery country according to the world-systems theory, and the United States, which is considered a major core country in this theory. The tangible and intellectual crossing—back and forth between Israel and the United States—is a transition that many of my interviewees have experienced. Therefore, the movement between Israel and the Global North (the term I use in this book to refer to the world’s developed countries of Europe and North America that are characterized by dominance of world trade, politics and cultural influence) is central both as a conceptual framework of this book and as my own personal experience as the author. From a personal point of view, I have been fortunate to receive support and inspiration from many people in both countries.
First of all, I would like to thank all of the generous people who are engaged in the field of organic food in Israel who welcomed me into their homes, farms, restaurants, offices, and shops, all those who were willing to meet me, talked about their lives, and let me join their activities. Each of them shared with me their thoughts, ideas, experiences, and sometimes the fruits of their labor. They all nourished this project. I hope that they will find this book—including the parts that are critical to their perspectives or those that expose consequences that they did not aim for—interesting and a fair description of their ideas, actions and efforts.
The research for this book started in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. I offer my deepest gratitude to Uri Ram, who sparked my interest in social theory in my undergraduate studies and later became my mentor. Uri taught me why both critical theory and robust empirical data matter, provided generous feedback, supported and advanced every step in my development as a scholar, and encouraged me to carve my own path in my research and in academic activities. I am deeply indebted to him for all of these and for his being a source of wisdom and inspiration. André Levy was the first to convince me to rework my project into a book manuscript, which will (hopefully) appeal to an international audience. I thank him, and Ricky Shufer-Levy, for pushing me to write this book, and for their good advice and friendship.
An extraordinary group of scholars at Ben-Gurion University provided me with important insights and helped me clarify my thoughts and ideas in significant ways. I especially thank Nir Avieli and Julia Lerner, who provided intellectual conversations and substantial feedback. They have been incredible collaborators and friends and continue to amaze me with their profound care and support. Special thanks to Daniel Maman for his advice and encouragement. Many other colleagues and friends shared their support and wisdom with me throughout my time in Be’er Sheva. Oleg Komlik, Tama Halfin, Tamir Erez, Yoel Tawil, Noa Leuchter, Einat Zamwel, Adit Shavit, Jonathan Preminger, Yeela Lahav-Raz, Hila Zaban, Dana Kaplan, Dafna Hirsch, Hizky Shoham, Uri Shwed, Sara Helman, Lev Grinberg, Relli Shechter, Eli Avraham, Oranit Klein-Shagrir, Ofra Goldstein-Gidoni, Tally Katz-Gerro, and Liora Gvion provided useful ideas and support in different stages of this project. Tally and Liora have been particularly supportive at several points of this long road and I would like to thank them both. I also thank Dan Kotliar, Tamar Kaneh-Shalit, Ariel Handel, Yofi Tirosh, Aeyal Gross, Alon Levkowitz, and Nurit Buchweitz.
I was fortunate to join Tel Aviv University as a postdoctoral fellow. I am grateful to Dan Rabinowitz for mentoring me at Tel Aviv, for being a source of inspiration and for his support. I also thank Yifat Gutman and Guy Abutbul-Selinger for their collegiality, feedback, and good ideas. At Tel Aviv University I had the great privilege of participating in the Lab for Society and the Environment. I thank the Lab members for their feedback and conversations and for reading parts of my work. I especially thank Talia Fried, Tamar Novick, Nir Barak, Noam Zaradez, and Tamar Neugarten. Two of my lab friends, Natalia Gutkowski and Liron Shani, have been fantastic colleagues, collaborators, and dear friends. I thank them both for allowing me to share with them thoughts and drafts, for their eye-opening comments, and for the meetings and support during our time together in the Boston area during the writing process of this book, as well as for their friendship over the years.
I have presented portions of this work to various audiences whose comments, suggestions, and questions helped shape my research and arguments. Among the many organizers, discussants, and engaged audiences, I am especially grateful to Alan Warde, Bente Halkier, Josée Johnston, Motti Regev, Gisela Welz, Yahil Zaban, Ronald Ranta, Wendy Wills, Carole Counihan, Jennifer Smith Maguire, Penny Van Esterik, Rachel Soper, Oz Frankel, Nahum Karlinsky, and Daniel Welch. Some of my research was published in Hebrew (2017). I would like to thank Idan Zivoni and Itzhak Benyamini, editors at Resling press, for being the first to believe that my research is worthy of publication as a book. I also thank Garrett Broad and Daniel Monterescu for their assistance in preparing the book proposal for this manuscript.
I am grateful to have spent time at the Brandeis University’s department of Sociology in 2015 to 2017. I have been blessed with the support and generosity of Laura J. Miller, who became a spectacular mentor, a source of inspiration, and a friend during my two years at Brandeis. I am grateful for the multiple conversations, invaluable feedback, and many kinds of