The Politics of GM Food (PDF)

Why have GM Foods become so controversial? Comparing GM food politics in the US, Britain, and the European Union, Toke draws on insights from discourse analysis to help explain this basic political struggle of our time. By stressing the interplay between the material and discursive dimensions involved in the shaping of the conflict, the work offers a detailed account that enriches our political understanding of these 'Frankenfoods' on a variety of fronts, in particular the interplay between scientific expertise and citizens politics. Those interested in the 'risk society', both students and specialists, will find much to learn from this perceptive analysis.
Professor Frank Fischer, Rutgers University, USA
The Politics of GM Food compares and explains how differing political outcomes have occurred regarding GM food and crops in the UK, USA and the EU, thus throwing light on the relationship between science and politics.
Dave Toke uses a discourse approach to analyse the varying regulatory and political approaches, developing a unique framework to describe how different countries have distinctive relationships between scientific assessments of GM food and crops and dominant cultural attitudes.
This innovative volume will interest students and researchers of environmental science and politics.