Citizens as cultivars: democratic values in paddy fields and universities

A cultivar is a plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those when propagated. This inaugural lecture by Mukulika Banerjee draws on long-term fieldwork among paddy farmers in Bengal to explore the ways in which cultivation - of crops, neighbourly relations, and selves - can help democracy and truthful politics to flourish.

It also considers how the university, through its own cultivation of knowledge and debate, is another vital site for nurturing active citizens and a better future.

A cultivar is a plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those when propagated. This inaugural lecture by Mukulika Banerjee draws on long-term fieldwork among paddy farmers in Bengal to explore the ways in which cultivation - of crops, neighbourly relations, and selves - can help democracy and truthful politics to flourish.

It also considers how the university, through its own cultivation of knowledge and debate, is another vital site for nurturing active citizens and a better future.