Farming from a Process-Relational Perspective: Making Openings for Change Visible

Abstract

The theoretical debates in sociology have highlighted the strengths, but also the limitations of perspectives building on, anthropocentrism, essentialism, or structural determinism. One school of thought that strives to overcome such limitations is relational sociology. The aim of this article is to explore how a process-relational perspective can offer a new conceptual framework for farm-level studies in rural sociology. It is an invitation to view the world as a tissue of interactions, of dynamic and often unpredictable processes. By injecting a dose of new materialism and thereby extending agency to nonhumans, the liveliness of nature and technology is also taken into account. Yet, reconceptualising farming in relational terms is not just a theoretical but also a political project: it spurs different imaginations, making other worlds thinkable. This would enable to show ever-present openings for more socially just and environmentally friendly farming practices.