The Axes of Interdisciplinary Knowledge conference “Seed heritage: building traditional Iberian agriculture and food since the 15th century” by Dulce Freire will be held on 14 May in the CEIS20 Seminar Room (conference presented in English).
"Since the 15th century, intercontinental connections have encouraged the circulation of cultivated seeds. The Iberian Peninsula became a privileged gateway to Europe for many new seeds from Asia, Africa and, above all, the Americas. By the end of the 16th century, rice, maize, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet oranges, pumpkins, beans and peppers had become part of the Iberian landscape and cuisine. In many cases, these seeds, initially considered exotic, have become local seeds, linked to the tangible and intangible heritage that underpins communities. By identifying the space-time trajectory of each cultivated species across the Iberian Peninsula, the ReSEED project is building a new methodological approach to explain the economic, social and environmental impact of these seeds in Europe. This session is an opportunity to present the itinerary for building an interdisciplinary methodology and to discuss some of the preliminary results."
Dulce Freire
Dulce Freire | University of Coimbra, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Economics
Dulce Freire is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra. She holds a degree in History and a Ph.D in Economic and Social History (2008) from FCSH-NOVA. She is the Principal Investigator of ReSEED - Rescuing seed's heritage, a research project funded by the European Research Council, and a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Coimbra. Her research interests include rural, agricultural and food history of the Iberian Peninsula. She has published more than 150 articles or book chapters, and several books. In recent years, she has coordinated several research projects on changes in agriculture, food, society, economy, and public policy since the 18th century, bringing together researchers and students from different scientific backgrounds, such as history, anthropology, sociology, geography, architecture, and biology.