Global Studies: Plants and Empire

This program reimagines the historical study of plants and empire through an interdisciplinary lens. Using case studies of global commodities such as cinchona, cocoa, cotton, and rubber, the program explores a historical view of how various peoples’ use of plants are shaped by economic, cultural, legal, and political conditions as well as environmental realities. Using commodities histories, we will trace the movements of plants and people and the emergence of a globalized system of production and consumption, that become the constitutive features of the capitalist economic system. We will read about plantation-based economies during the 17th and 18th centuries and learn about agricultural commodities that became integral to the rise of world markets. From the early colonial era, we move chronologically forward to the rise of the British Empire and the industrial era. We will consider how 19th century botanical research supported the establishment and maintenance of plantations in British colonies. Finally, we shift our attention to the 20th and 21st centuries and the expansion of globalization and the rise of neoliberalism.

The social constructions of gender, race, and class inform our relations with the natural world. Coursework in economic botany grounded in cultural history and political ecology will give students the skills to think critically about how human use of the environment intersects with the power dynamics of the global economy. This will allow them to examine how various systems of knowing about nature and its use can support or challenge systems of oppression. And they will develop an understanding of how current political controversies are shaped by the legacy of oppression, struggle, and social change associated with capitalism. Some class time will be devoted to self-care skill building as we grapple with sometimes challenging academic content. Through various workshops, we will cultivate our embodied knowing and build community with each other. In this hybrid program, students can expect a blend of about 32 hours/week of asynchronous (self-paced) and 8 hours/week of synchronous in-person (scheduled) work. To successfully participate in this program, students will need a quiet place to read and write, as well as access to a computer with a reliable internet connection and word processing software.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

5* - Colonial Botany

5* - Economic Botany

4 - Cultural History of Plants

2 - Introduction to Medicinal Botany

* up to 10 units in upper division science credit is possible if earned