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theses

In 1900, the soybean was a nonentity in American farming. By 2000, 87 million metric tons were grown each year and soy was the country’s most valuable agricultural export. A less concrete but perhaps more telling difference was the soybean’s increased presence in American culture: in 1900, a small number of Asian immigrants, adventuresome farmers, and agricultural researchers thought about soybeans on a regular basis. By 2000, that number had expanded to include chemical, nutritional and medical researchers; commodities traders; lobbyists; vegetarians and millions more buying tofu or soy health-foods; sufferers of soybean allergies; and countless others. Magic Bean charts the diverse paths of the soybean into American farming, diet and culture over the course of the twentieth century. These pathways were enmeshed in systems of knowledge and cultural transfer that themselves underwent enormous transformations in that time: immigrant networks, missionary enterprises, agricultural science, laboratory chemistry, commodities markets, spiritual pilgrimages, and marketing techniques. In tracking the career of the soybean in America, Magic Bean takes a broadly ecological approach that highlights the interconnections between the environment, science and culture, while never losing sight of the aspirations of individuals whose quests drove the process forward.

ETD_5045

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Matthew D. Roth

doi:10.7282/T3P55KJ4

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.