PSU / UQAM 2015
Agriculture MTL-PDX
  • Blog
  • MTL
  • PDX
  • About

Cultivating Image: Urban Agriculture as Spectacle in Portland and Montreal

12/2/2015

20 Comments

 
After our summer field work ended, the students from Portland State University split into three groups, each of which decided to explore different topics based on our findings. Over the next few months, all three groups will be sharing reports on our chosen topics.

You can read about the other two topics HERE and HERE.

Our group (Gwyn, Dirk, and Claire) has chosen to focus on how the image of urban agriculture (UA) has been deployed in Portland and Montreal, and for what purposes. We use Guy Debord’s classic work, The Society of Spectacle (1967), in order to interrogate how UA is increasingly being deployed as a form of ‘spectacle’. For Debord, the concept of the spectacle primarily refers to the intensification of capitalist development. Debord’s spectacle is characterized by the production and dissemination of images, which commodify and colonize spaces and social relations for the advancement of capital accumulation. In recent decades, the ‘spectacle’ has `become a touchstone for urban theorists engaging with the impact of increased cultural production and its urban manifestations. This includes the development of cultural amenities such as festivals, spaces of leisure, and mega-events. Beyond simple representation, Debord’s spectacle embodies the tension between emancipatory practice and the commodification of everyday life.

As cities seek to develop global brands built on sustainability and innovation, “green” practices such as urban agriculture (UA) are increasingly deployed as yet another cultural amenity. Although the literature has extensively examined UA, its spectacular dimensions have yet to be fully explored. Drawing on fieldwork from Montréal, Québec and Portland, Oregon we critically and dialectically analyze UA initiatives in order to understand how these practices reflect the contradictions and conflicts inherent to capitalist urban systems. Our analysis reveals two distinct forms of ‘spectacle’ associated with UA; (1) an abstract and performative spectacle related to the appearance and image of UA, and (2) a concrete, grounded version embodied in material urban space. Ultimately, we hope to reveal how UA is simultaneously subsumed by capitalist accumulation, and deployed as an emancipatory tool - as the two types of spectacle - albeit differently in each city. 
20 Comments
department of environmental and biosystems engineering link
7/1/2016 03:23:18 am

that a good idea, this project is about to change how people view agriculture as and also it will open many way and methods of performing agriculture

Reply
Edirne viessmann servisi link
8/3/2022 10:15:40 am

Edirne Viessman servisi en uygun fiyat ve en hızlı servis garantisi ile sizlerle. https://www.edirneklimaservisi.com/edirne-viessmann-servisi/

Reply
Kreatura Slider Nulled link
9/5/2022 07:02:17 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://freecodezilla.net/download-layerslider-wp-plugin/

Reply
website kurma link
9/11/2022 03:21:38 pm

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/

Reply
mobil ödeme bozdurma link
9/12/2022 01:33:23 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/

Reply
website kurma link
9/14/2022 03:42:57 pm

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma

Reply
web site kurma link
9/30/2022 02:28:17 am

It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma

Reply
akcaabat escort link
10/5/2022 12:26:11 am

I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/trabzon-escort/akcaabat-escort/

Reply
ceyhan escort link
10/5/2022 01:58:31 am

It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/adana-escort/ceyhan-escort/

Reply
eceabat escort link
10/5/2022 05:33:00 pm

I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/canakkale-escort/eceabat-escort/

Reply
mazgirt escort link
10/7/2022 03:29:13 am

I think the content is at a successful level. It adds enough information. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/tunceli-escort/mazgirt-escort/

Reply
beylikova escort link
10/7/2022 03:25:56 pm

Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/eskisehir-escort/beylikova-escort/

Reply
Korsan Taksi link
11/13/2022 06:15:14 pm

Sitemizi ziyaret et: https://taksikenti.com/

Reply
evden iş imkanı link
11/23/2022 04:37:38 pm

Hemen Göz At evde para kazanmaya basla: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/

Reply
mrbahis link
12/6/2022 11:57:47 am

Congratulations for the successful article. I can't wait for the sequel.

Reply
vbet link
12/9/2022 06:11:20 am

Congratulations, it's a nice post. I'm always waiting for such nice posts in the future.

Reply
sportsbet link
12/10/2022 05:45:40 am

I follow your work closely. Congratulations for this beautiful content.

Reply
tiktok takipçi satın al link
12/11/2022 11:59:23 am

Tiktok takipçi satışı burada: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/

Reply
instagram beğeni satın al link
12/11/2022 11:59:23 am

İnstagram beğeni satışı yapan firmamıza göz atın: https://takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/

Reply
casino siteleri link
12/29/2022 07:56:33 am

online casino oyna: http://haikuboy.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Who we are / 
    Qui Nous Sommes

    We're a group of graduate students from Portland State University, l'Université du Québec à Montréal, and l'Université de Montréal. We're studying urban agriculture in Portland, Oregon and Montréal, Québec. Follow along as we document our research during the summer and fall of 2015!

    INSTAGRAM

    Archive

    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.