P000175, Critical perspectives on agrarian change, 7.5 Hp
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Syllabus

Finalized by: Forskarskolan People, Society and Sustainability, 2026-02-25
Valid from : Second half-year 2026 (2026-07-01)

Level

Third cycle

Subject

Rural Development, Agricultural History, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Communication

Grading Scale

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Course language

English

Entry Requirements

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, the student should:

• be well acquainted with the major theoretical approaches for understanding agrarian change, including classical political economy approaches;
• acquire a detailed understanding of the drivers of agrarian change in the era of industrialization/modernization and how these drivers have played out in different times and places;
• be able to connect theories of agrarian change to other important trends/debates, including food security, the green revolution, and environmental degradation/climate change.

Content

This PhD course aims to give PhD students an overview of critical agrarian studies, focusing on both historical and contemporary agrarian change. The main focus is understanding key conceptualizations of agrarian change and its drivers, y from the era of agricultural modernization and industrialization, beginning in the mid-1800s, through the current restructuring of agro-food systems around the world. Hence, this course will deal with varied transformations in different time periods and places in the Global South and North (building on both teachers’ and students’ familiarity with cases), and theoretical debates about the significance of these transformations, tracing how discussions in agrarian political economy have evolved over the last (roughly) 150 years. This course is conceived primarily as a theoretical course, helping participating PhD students to comprehend key concepts and debates within agrarian political economy – such as primitive accumulation, agricultural production and labor relations, while also introducing more specific debates in the broader field and adapting to PhD student’s interests and research topics.

To ensure that the participants become acquainted with the major theoretical approaches for understanding agrarian change, and acquire a detailed understanding of the drivers of agrarian change and learn to connect theories of agrarian change to other important trends/debates, the course is divided into a number of overarching themes, in part decided based on student thesis projects and interests. Each theme will involve reading, a lecture and a seminar. All activities build on active student participation.

Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course

Examination will consist of active participation in mandatory lectures and seminars and reflections and presentations on the reading material.

Responsible Department/Equivalent

Department of Urban and Rural Development

Supplementary information

Other Information

To sign up for the course send an email to Klara Fischer or Brian Kuns no later than June 8 with a max 500 word description of why this course is relevant for your studies and information about the university and department you are enrolled with and the subject of your PhD studies. Before June 19 we will notify you of admission.

We prefer that participants are physically present in Uppsala but we might consider online-participation upon request.

This course is part of the research school People, Society and Sustainability, a joined research school between the Department of Economics and the Department of Urban and Rural Development.