We don’t think about commodities very much. They’re all around us: cotton, sugar, oil, gas, chickens, cattle, and so many other things we take for granted. But a closer look at the history of commodities tells a revealing story about the expansion of capitalism and its profound impacts on land, labor, economics, and human rights. In this episode, we talk to four scholars who study commodity frontiers—with case studies in soybeans, honey bees, renewable energy, and more—to learn how commodities have literally altered the planet and society. Sven Beckert opens by explaining commodity frontiers as a framework for studying the history of capitalism. We think of capitalism as exploding in cities, but actually it began in the countryside where land is used to create goods for global markets, he says. As a result, the countryside has been profoundly transformed. Hard to believe, but Americans had never heard of soybeans a century ago. Rachel Steely tells the story of the remarkable rise and pervasiveness of soy and its versatile properties that spurred multiple industrial applications, along with its massive role in agriculture. The honey bee we are all familiar with is not native to North America. It’s a European invasion that has now spread to every country in the world. Angélica Márquez-Osuna traces the history of the bee species Mellifera, which has displaced nearly every other bee species in North America. She shares a hopeful story: a native stingless bee species, Melipona, in the Yucatan is being kept alive by artisan beekeepers. Just because renewable energy is not a tangible thing, it doesn’t mean it’s not a commodity. Myles Lennon removes the layers that separate consumers from the actual means of production and extraction of minerals used for renewable energy. Though extraction and labor exploitation are devastating to the environment and human rights, he emphasizes there are ways to raise awareness and make sustainable choices for the future. Guests:Sven Beckert, Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Global History. Laird Bell Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University. Myles Lennon, Dean's Assistant Professor of Environment and Society and Anthropology, Brown University. Angélica Márquez-Osuna, Assistant Professor of History, Loyola University Chicago. Rachel Steely, former Raphael Morrison Dorman Memorial Postdoctoral Fellow, Weatherhead Scholars Program. PhD, Department of History, Harvard University. Host:Jessica Barnard, Administrator, Weatherhead Research Clusters on Global History and on Migration. Related Links:“A Journey to the Universe of Bees: From the Archives to the Fields,” by Angélica Márquez-Osuna (ReVista Harvard Review of Latin America, Jan 23, 2023)“Beekeeping from the South: The Yucatán Peninsula's ‘Industrious Bee’ and the Rise of Modern Apiculture,” by Angélica Márquez-Osuna (Agricultural History, February 2024)“Expanding Hives: The History of Modern Beekeeping on the Tropical Frontier During the First Half of the Twentieth Century,” by Angélica Márquez-Osuna (Istor 94: Environmental Stories from Latin America, July 23, 2024)“From Reduction to Regeneration: Environmental Justice and Ecological Unity in the IRA Era” by Myles Lennon (Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, December 24, 2024)“The Problem with ‘Solutions’: Apolitical Optimism in the Sustainable Energy Industry,” by Myles Lennon (Current Anthropology, ahead of print)Subjects of the Sun: Solar Energy in the Shadows of Racial Capitalism, by Myles Lennon (Duke University Press, forthcoming June 2025)Rachel Steely’s personal websiteEmpire of Cotton: A Global History, by Sven Beckert (Penguin Random House, 2015)Harvard and Slavery: Seeking a Forgotten HistoryMusic: “African Moon” by John Bartmann. Source: Free Music Archive (CC0 1.0 Universal License) This episode was produced, edited, and mixed by Michelle Nicholasen, Editor and Content Producer at the Weatherhead Center. Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube
