Monday, September 14, 2015

UIS Professor Ali Nizamuddin to discuss the corporate dominance of the world's food supply

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series welcomes UIS Associate Professor of Political Science Ali Nizamuddin. He will discuss his new book, The Patenting of Life, Limiting Liberty, and the Corporate Pursuit of Seeds, which investigates the corporate dominance of the world’s food supply.

WHEN: Monday, September 28, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: The seed is nature’s gift and the first link in the food chain. This life form is becoming the exclusive intellectual property of the corporation. The advent of genetically modified seeds and strict patent protection accorded to them enables companies to own the seed even after the farmer has bought, planted, and harvested the seed. Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides which is leading to monocultures in the food system and the disappearance of traditional methods of farming. Local producers are forced to buy seeds each year, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. An imbalance of power has emerged and farmers are transformed from producers to consumers by these arrangements.

Ali Nizamuddin received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in International Relations. His dissertation examined the impact of market risks on investment patterns and the bargaining interaction between multinational corporations and host governments over the life cycle of an investment project. His research has been published in numerous academic journals including the Journal of Pacific Affairs, Asian Journal of Social Science, the International Social Science Review, and the Encyclopedia of International Political Economy.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speaker Series events and more information, visit www.uis.edu/speakerseries/. All events are free and open to the public.

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