[New from the Press] Tales of the Post-Plantation: Unlikely Protagonists of Modern Philippine Banana History

Ateneo University Press releases groundbreaking book on agrarian capitalism, Tales of the Post-Plantation

The Ateneo University Press is proud to announce that Robin Thiers’ Tales of the Post-Plantation: Unlikely Protagonists of Modern Philippine Banana History is now available.

Tales of the Post-Plantation is a groundbreaking look into the commercial production and export of Cavendish bananas in Davao City. Rather than focusing solely on elite interests, Thiers tells the stories of small-scale farmers, a fungus, and the bananas themselves.

Through original fieldwork and transdisciplinary research, the author challenges readers to view plantations as more-than-human assemblages that both uphold and disrupt the capitalist status quo and anthropocentric control. By destabilizing traditional ideas about plantations, Theirs invites readers to imagine a future beyond the limitations of current agricultural practices. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of capitalism, agriculture, and the environment.  

Fellow scholars have already recommended Tales of the Post-Plantation as a “must-read for academics and activists alike.” Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Professor of Agrarian Studies at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Netherlands shares that Tales of the Post-Plantation is one of the “very best books ever written on the political economy of Mindanao's plantation economy.”

Dr. R.A. Rutten, Associate Professor in Anthropology and Non-Western Sociology at the University of Amsterdam praises the book as a “most rewarding and enjoyable read” with its lucid analysis, engaging writing style, and genuine interest in all the protagonists concerned. 

Tales of the Post-Plantation: Unlikely Protagonists of Modern Philippine Banana History by Robin Thiers is published by Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Category: Politics & Society
Language: English
Price: P795.00
Get your copy in paperback: website | Lazada and Shopee stores
Its ebook edition will be available in May 2023

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About the Author

Robin Thiers holds a PhD in Political Sciences from the University of Ghent (Belgium), where he worked at the Department of Conflict and Development Studies. He obtained an MSc in Globalisation and Development from SOAS University of London (UK) and an MSc in Comparative and International Politics from the University of Leuven (Belgium).