Corn and Capitalism (The Story of a Hybrid Plant That Achieved Global Hegemony)

Author: (Mexico) Arturo, translated by Gu Xiaojing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: This book was first published in Mexico in 1988, telling the story of corn from the perspectives of anthropology, social history, and socioeconomics. Corn cannot be sown naturally from a botanical standpoint; it is a hybrid that depends on farmers to pass it down through generations. Arturo begins with the Americas, describing corn as a colonizer. Under the contempt of Spanish rulers, marginalized European immigrants embraced this staple food of the indigenous people. Now, as a food resource for both humans and livestock, corn has spread globally. Mr. also reveals the role of corn in the African slave trade.