Abstract:
Land-use change is one of the most heatedly debated topics in contemporary Denmark. In the Danish countryside we find a heavily cultivated and livestock-dense landscape. The country, one might say, is formatted by animal production, in terms of arable land used for animal feed, monocultural exclusion, nutrient run-off, pesticide use etc. In recent years, however, political ambitions to ensure a green transition have brought about fundamental state-driven changes. Possibly. Concurrent with calls for change, we also see an agricultural sector arguing that it is already sustainable, and that downscaling of animal production is irresponsible. In this seminar, I present work in progress; parts of a book on what sustainability can mean in an unsustainable production sector. My analysis is an STS-inspired ethnography of the complex expertise that underpins livestock production in Denmark in a critical time.
NB: For this seminar, Hastrup will share to excerpts from her book project. To receive the texts, you must register with this form in Nettskjema by Friday September 11, 2026.
This will be a hybrid seminar with in-person attendance at SAI (see details at the top) and digitally on Zoom.
Language
This seminar will be held in English.
Bionote
Frida Hastrup is a professor in ethnology specialized in the following topics: People and environments, and Knowledge production and collaborative methods.
The Centre for Sustainable Futures is committed to generate and disseminate humanities-based research on climate change, socio-environmental crises, and loss of biodiversity. Professor Hastrup is PI of the interdisciplinary project Cattle Crossroads: Researching Danish Livestock Production for the Future (2021-2025), and PI for the research project Natural Goods? Processing Raw Materials in Global Times (2013-2016).
About LandUse
LandBruk (LandUse) is a group of researchers and students associated with the NorLab research group, who come together to discuss anthropological perspectives on land-use in the Nordics.