Unwrapping the OXO Cube: Josué de Castro and the Intellectual History of Metabolism

Abstract

The material and intellectual history of geographical concepts matters. So, too, does providing alternative intellectual histories that can help to untangle imperialist threads and open new paths for geographical thought. Anglophone political ecology has relied greatly on the concept of metabolism, drawn from Marx and the German chemist Justus von Liebig. Upon this conception of the relationship between society and nature major edifices of social theory have been erected. Here I both trace the concept’s history to the material flows of imperialism and offer an alternative intellectual history for metabolic critique through the work of Josué de Castro (1908–1973), a Brazilian geographer and nutritionist. I argue that a physiological, anticolonial version of metabolic critique draws attention to how the bodies and flows of (not only) Europe and Europeans and (not only) Latin America and Latin Americans are produced in relation to one another. Emerging work has sought to put forward anticolonial and embodied political ecology: Thinking with Castro can help take these approaches in fruitful directions. Key Words: history of geography, hunger, Josué de Castro, metabolism, political ecology.

地理概念的物质与知识历史是重要的, 而提供另类知识史, 协助解开帝国主义思路并开启地理思想的崭新路径亦相当重要。英美的政治生态学, 大幅倚赖源自马克思与德国化学家尤斯图斯．冯．李比希的“新陈代谢”之概念。主要的社会理论架构, 便是在此一社会—自然关系的概念上树立。我于此同时追溯该概念的历史至帝国主义的物质流动, 并通过巴西地理学者和营养学家约绪．德．卡斯特罗（1908-1973）的研究, 提供新陈代谢批评的另类知识史。我主张, 一个生理学且反殖民版本的新陈代谢批评, 关注（不只是）欧洲与欧洲人、以及（不只是）拉丁美洲与拉丁美洲人的身体与流动, 如何在相互的关系中被生产。浮现中的研究寻求推进反殖民和身体化的政治生态学：跟着卡斯特罗思考, 有助于将这些方法推往成功的方向。 关键词: 地理的历史, 飢饿, 约绪．德．卡斯特罗, 新陈代谢, 政治生态学。

Es importante la historia material e intelectual de los conceptos geográficos. También lo es producir historias intelectuales alternativas que puedan ayudar a desenredar el ovillo imperialista y abrir nuevos caminos al pensamiento geográfico. La ecología política anglófona se ha apoyado grandemente en el concepto de metabolismo, derivado de Marx y del químico alemán Justus von Liebig. A partir de esta concepción de la relación entre sociedad y naturaleza se han construido algunos de los edificios salientes de la teoría social. Aquí trazo la historia del concepto hasta los flujos materiales del imperialismo y ofrezco una historia intelectual alternativa a la crítica metabólica, a través del trabajo de Josué de Castro (1908–1973), un geógrafo y nutricionista brasileño. Arguyo que una versión fisiológica y anticolonial de la crítica metabólica llama la atención hacia cómo los cuerpos y flujos de (no solo) Europa y los europeos y (no solo) América Latina y los latinoamericanos se generan en la relación de unos con otros. El trabajo emergente ha buscado promover una ecología política anticolonial y personificada. Pensar con Castro puede ayudar a colocar estos enfoques en direcciones fructíferas.

Palabras clave:

• ecología política
• hambre
• historia de la geografía
• Josué de Castro
• metabolismo

Acknowledgments

The indefatigable support of Alex Loftus made this work possible. So, too, did that of Alexandra Reza. Thanks also to James Angel, Jeff Garmany, Ruth Craggs, and the reading group at King’s College London for comments on earlier drafts. I am deeply grateful to Katielle Susane do Nascimento Silva, and her family and friends Cláudio Jorge Moura de Castilho, and the research group Movimentos Sociais e Espaço Urbano at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco for welcoming me so warmly in Recife and for continuing political and intellectual inspiration. I would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and Professor James McCarthy.

Notes

Notes

1 In 1968, Liebig merged with Brook Bond Tea before becoming part of Unilever. OXO is largely MSG and its history is tied to MSG’s inventor, Ikeda Kikunae, who had studied organic chemistry in Germany (Sand 2005). Thanks to a reviewer for this point.

2 von Liebig often used metamorphose but Marx preferred stoffwechsel (Bing 1971). Marx’s preference for biochemical terminology foregrounds the science of life and the transformation of matter.

3 I retain the term Latin American because Castro characterized his work in a continental conjuncture.

4 Discussion with Directors of the Instituto de Nutrición, Buenos Aires, April 2017.

5 Its successor is part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and bears Castro’s name. Its archive was consulted for this article.

6 The IN archive includes blank versions from the 1940s.

7 Costa wrote on nutrition and society (Alimentação e Progresso, 1951) and socialism (O Socialismo, 1954). Tratado de Nutrição (Costa 1947) told the history of nutrition from Antoine Lavoisier to von Liebig, but Costa emphasized the effects of nutrition on society rather than systemic analysis.

8 Easygoing translates Fanon’s paresseuse, which implies laziness: The settlers’ bellies are full but they did not work to produce their food.

9 His personal archive includes clippings on Fanon.

10 An issue of the Journal of Historical Geography along these lines is reportedly in preparation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Archie Davies

ARCHIE DAVIES is a PhD Candidate at King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include political ecology, the geography of hunger, and Brazilian geographical thought.