Man and Grain. A Cereal History of Civilizations.
The Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 25222 |
| Format | 19 x 25 cm |
| Détails | 480 p, publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Paris, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251452357 |
· A global panorama that considers cereals and pseudocereals in their relationship to the sedentarization of humanity, to the evolution of different civilizations since the Neolithic, and to the future of our relationships with all forms of life.
· A concrete and abundantly illustrated study of the different species of cereals and their uses
· A source of reflection on the answers that cereals can provide to the dietary, environmental and spiritual challenges of tomorrow's generations
· A perspective on the symbolic and religious significance of cereals across eras and civilizations
· A comprehensive account of the biological and technological exchanges that have taken place up to the current challenges of globalization
· A transdisciplinary approach, which combines the field experience and complementary knowledge of Alain Bonjean, plant geneticist, and Benoît Vermander, teacher of social and religious sciences.
This book traces the long history of interactions between humans and cereals.
From the first attempts at domestication to the most contemporary agronomic applications of genomics, from the gestures of sharing that punctuate daily life to the most elaborate agrarian rituals, Alain Bonjean and Benoît Vermander reveal the diversity of grain-producing species and that of the societies that are organized around their cultivation.
The domestication of barley, an example of the work carried out between nature and humanity; the birth of wheat in the Fertile Crescent, its introduction in Europe and then throughout the world; the early development of millets and the exuberance of the mythical repertoire that accompanies them; the transfers and dramas that marked the Colombian exchange, from the introduction of corn in Europe to that of African cultivation techniques in North America; the elaborate repertoire of Asian rices and associated rituals; the maintained diversity of African cereals, that of Andean species too long neglected, a pledge of hope for humanity... These are some of the stages of this book, which opens up new perspectives on the relationship between man and plants and on the crises that mark such a relationship today.
· A global panorama that considers cereals and pseudocereals in their relationship to the sedentarization of humanity, to the evolution of different civilizations since the Neolithic, and to the future of our relationships with all forms of life.
· A concrete and abundantly illustrated study of the different species of cereals and their uses
· A source of reflection on the answers that cereals can provide to the dietary, environmental and spiritual challenges of tomorrow's generations
· A perspective on the symbolic and religious significance of cereals across eras and civilizations
· A comprehensive account of the biological and technological exchanges that have taken place up to the current challenges of globalization
· A transdisciplinary approach, which combines the field experience and complementary knowledge of Alain Bonjean, plant geneticist, and Benoît Vermander, teacher of social and religious sciences.
This book traces the long history of interactions between humans and cereals.
From the first attempts at domestication to the most contemporary agronomic applications of genomics, from the gestures of sharing that punctuate daily life to the most elaborate agrarian rituals, Alain Bonjean and Benoît Vermander reveal the diversity of grain-producing species and that of the societies that are organized around their cultivation.
The domestication of barley, an example of the work carried out between nature and humanity; the birth of wheat in the Fertile Crescent, its introduction in Europe and then throughout the world; the early development of millets and the exuberance of the mythical repertoire that accompanies them; the transfers and dramas that marked the Colombian exchange, from the introduction of corn in Europe to that of African cultivation techniques in North America; the elaborate repertoire of Asian rices and associated rituals; the maintained diversity of African cereals, that of Andean species too long neglected, a pledge of hope for humanity... These are some of the stages of this book, which opens up new perspectives on the relationship between man and plants and on the crises that mark such a relationship today.