The Sovereign Poison
Glyphosate, Poisoncraft, and Regulatory Politics
1st Edition
Published on 14. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
262 pages
978-0-520-30239-6 (ISBN)
Description
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Growing concerns over pesticide exposure have fueled calls for stricter regulations. Yet governments-often constrained by the pressures of global markets-frequently fall short of implementing effective controls. The Sovereign Poison explores the failed efforts of both the European Parliament and the Sri Lankan government to ban glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide. Introducing the concept of "poisoncraft," Tom Widger delves into the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding poison that played a key role in these controversies, and traces humanity's long and complex relationship with toxic substances. Using a wide-angle anthropological lens, this book examines poison in its many forms-as a tool of witchcraft and magic, a language of value and exchange, a discourse of nationalist politics, and a foundational element of the global food system. By illuminating the intersections of science, politics, and regulation with public demands for sovereign control, Widger reveals the deeper cultural logics and power dynamics that underpin the global governance of pesticides.
Growing concerns over pesticide exposure have fueled calls for stricter regulations. Yet governments-often constrained by the pressures of global markets-frequently fall short of implementing effective controls. The Sovereign Poison explores the failed efforts of both the European Parliament and the Sri Lankan government to ban glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide. Introducing the concept of "poisoncraft," Tom Widger delves into the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding poison that played a key role in these controversies, and traces humanity's long and complex relationship with toxic substances. Using a wide-angle anthropological lens, this book examines poison in its many forms-as a tool of witchcraft and magic, a language of value and exchange, a discourse of nationalist politics, and a foundational element of the global food system. By illuminating the intersections of science, politics, and regulation with public demands for sovereign control, Widger reveals the deeper cultural logics and power dynamics that underpin the global governance of pesticides.
More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 b-w illustration, 6 maps
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
406 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-30239-6 (9780520302396)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€12.49
Available for download
Person
Tom Widger is Professor of Anthropology at Durham University and author of Suicide in Sri Lanka: The Anthropology of an Epidemic.
Content
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface: The Gifts of Poison
Introduction: Glyphosate, the Sovereign Poison
Part I. Poisoncraft: An Anthropological History of a Field of Practice
Chapter 1. Poisoncraft: Value and Power in the Noxious and the Good
Chapter 2. The Worlds of European and South Asian Poisoncraft
Summary of Part I: The Crafts of Poison
Part II. Glyphosate and the Poisoncraft of European Unification
Chapter 3. Poison and Deceit: Glyphosate and Europe's Polycrisis
Chapter 4. Glyphosate, Bureaucratic Science, and the Idea of Europe
Chapter 5. Regulatory Review and Sovereign Ignorance
Chapter 6. Science and Solidarity for the 500 Million
Summary of Part II: Crafting Europe Through Poison Control
Part III. The Poisoncraft of Sri Lanka's Postwar Recovery
Chapter 7. Kidney Disease and the Glyphosate Question
Chapter 8. The Poisoned Isle
Chapter 9. In Search of Compound X
Chapter 10. The Presidents' Purificatory Work
Chapter 11. Lions and Sharks: Agribusiness Resistance to the Glyphosate Ban
Summary of Part III: The Poisonous Gas of Communal Identity
Conclusion: The Cauldron of Poisoncraft
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
List of Illustrations
Preface: The Gifts of Poison
Introduction: Glyphosate, the Sovereign Poison
Part I. Poisoncraft: An Anthropological History of a Field of Practice
Chapter 1. Poisoncraft: Value and Power in the Noxious and the Good
Chapter 2. The Worlds of European and South Asian Poisoncraft
Summary of Part I: The Crafts of Poison
Part II. Glyphosate and the Poisoncraft of European Unification
Chapter 3. Poison and Deceit: Glyphosate and Europe's Polycrisis
Chapter 4. Glyphosate, Bureaucratic Science, and the Idea of Europe
Chapter 5. Regulatory Review and Sovereign Ignorance
Chapter 6. Science and Solidarity for the 500 Million
Summary of Part II: Crafting Europe Through Poison Control
Part III. The Poisoncraft of Sri Lanka's Postwar Recovery
Chapter 7. Kidney Disease and the Glyphosate Question
Chapter 8. The Poisoned Isle
Chapter 9. In Search of Compound X
Chapter 10. The Presidents' Purificatory Work
Chapter 11. Lions and Sharks: Agribusiness Resistance to the Glyphosate Ban
Summary of Part III: The Poisonous Gas of Communal Identity
Conclusion: The Cauldron of Poisoncraft
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Bibliography
Index