Zachary La Rock will examine how plant scientists, environmental regulators, and local communities in Italy’s Salento peninsula interpret and respond to a widespread epidemic of dying olive trees. While scientists and officials attribute the crisis to the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, small landholders and environmental activists contest this diagnosis, denouncing official eradication measures—such as tree felling and insecticide spraying—as products of “mafia science.” Their critique highlights how epidemic management can serve the interests of agribusiness and land speculation at the expense of local ecologies and livelihoods. Meanwhile, experts and media outlets dismiss these dissenting views as “negationism.” La Rock will explore how the ongoing struggle over Salento’s olive trees reflects enduring inequalities in the region’s agrarian economy and competing ways of making sense of environmental and social upheaval.
The Graduate Student Research Workshop is a seminar for graduate students at Harvard University and MIT to present their research to peers and faculty with an interest in European studies. This student-run, student-centered workshop welcomes presenters from any social science discipline who are at any stage of their research.
To join the seminar mailing list, please contact the seminar chairs. Papers will be distributed to participants via email in advance. For a schedule of upcoming workshops see here. This schedule will be updated throughout the academic year.
