Paper short abstract:

Based on fieldwork in Assam, India, this presentation develops the idea of fermentation as an expansive method – fermentation is not just about preserving food or building sustainable futures but a method for social sciences to understand microbes and their significance.

Paper long abstract:

When fermenting, what is in the fermentation jar is not just what is in the jar – say, to make pickled cucumbers: salt, water, and cucumbers. What is in the jar is all the things that have given rise to those ingredients. Where did the ingredients come from? Were they grown, purchased, or foraged? Where, and by whom? On which soil, and who owns the land? What are the challenges of accessing materials to ferment with? What are the structures that shape access to the ingredients – knowledge of plants and their medicinal and financial value? To what ends are ferments made? To think about fermentation in this way means thinking about microbes contextually and expansively, exploring the various dynamics that expand beyond the vat.

The analysis of this presentation examines fermentation practices in the Indian state of Assam. This is an area where fermentation cultures are thriving both in terms of consumables as well as scientific research in search of novel microbiome solutions. Here, fermentation practitioners take us on a journey to engage with the cultures of cultures – the social of microbes and the microbes of social practices, documenting varying fermentation practices drawn together across domains as land ownership, spirituality, indigenous knowledge, laboratories…. In this talk, I develop the idea of fermentation as a method – not just for preserving food or exploring how to build more sustainable futures but as a method for social sciences to understand microbes and their significance.