Seed To Sale: Boundary Work In Mississippi Agriculture

From production to sale, farm operations thrive on the demanding work of farm labor. However, social research on agriculture does not give adequate attention to issues of labor and work. Through participant observation, interviews, and content analysis, I analyze work from multiple perspectives within Mississippi agriculture. I focus on individuals involved in produce farming in two communities located in Northwest and Southeast Mississippi. I apply the boundary work theoretical framework to my findings, which reveals the complexities of the agriculture sector in Mississippi and illuminates the ways in which individuals not only define themselves but the work they do and the sector at large. The findings from this study expand on Michèle Lamont’s studies by addressing the symbolic and social boundaries of local organizations and federal institutions and the ways these boundaries both constrain and enable farmers.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. in Sociology

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology and Anthropology

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Canarios, Caroline

Contributors dc:contributor

• John J. Green
• James M. Thomas
• Kirsten Dellinger

• Agriculture
• Boundary Work
• Mississippi
• Social Boundaries
• Symbolic Boundaries
• Sociology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/854

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-1853