Commodity Frontiers Initiative

- PICKED BY ANKE-
December 2021

The Commodity Frontiers Initiative is a network that researches: “capitalism, contestation, and the transformation of the global countryside”. It looks at the present and the long-standing history of capitalism in rural places and how those places have been shaped by and are shaping globalization. Researchers involved with this initiative come from a myriad of disciplines, such as anthropology, development studies, ecology, economics, history, political science, and sociology. Currently, the four researchers heading up the group are: Sven Beckert from Harvard University, Ulbe Bosma from the International Institute of Social History and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Mindi Schneider from Wageningen University, and Eric Vanhaute from Ghent University.

The network also puts out a quarterly journal. The first two issues were Mineral Frontiers and Stimulant Frontiers, with the third, Livestock Frontiers, due to come out in late 2021. More info can be found on their website: https://commodityfrontiers.com/ .