Presentation long abstract

Recent far-right tendencies among Dutch farmers have highlighted the central role of culture and particularly historical imaginaries in the agricultural debate. Whether it stems from a fear of allying with a problematic history or the right’s victory in ‘claiming’ the past, eco-socialist activists and political ecology researchers based in Europe have largely refrained from drawing on past imaginaries when prefigurating a post-agroindustrial future. For the counter-hegemonic ‘Agroecologie Netwerk’ and research in support of the agroecological agenda, this is a missed opportunity in light of the fact, that cultural belonging and relationships with the land are central in the agroecological worldview.

Dutch folk songs contain imaginaries that align with agroecology despite their conservative association. Struggles around land, rural livehoods and labour have been central in farmers’ experiences well before the industrial transformation of agriculture. Engaging with folk music further allows for the importance of centering emotions, aesthetics and storytelling in movement-building. This research therefore aims to investigate how the reinterpretation of old Dutch folk songs can contribute to agroecological imaginaries through ‘postfiguration’. A fellow musician who works in Toekomstboeren, the Dutch branch of La Via Campesina, and I have long pondered on the idea of making an album for the agroecological movement containing reinterpretations of old Dutch folk songs. This has already been done by the English Landworker’s alliance in 2021, which illustrates the political potential of folk reinterpretation. The research will result in a MSc thesis and the recording of this album, which will take place in June 2026.