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What does the diversity of social movements and food initiatives tell us about processes of social change? I argue that they offer a productive analytical lens to observe social change because they identify injustices and dynamics of inequalities in the food system and are actively engaged in transforming these. Alternative local food initiatives react to the environmental impacts of globalized food relations; food sovereignty movements highlight class inequalities and power asymmetries in the food system that affect people's rights to culturally appropriate foodways; food justice movements denounce institutional racism; feminist movements fight persistent gender inequalities from food production to consumption; vegan movements defend animal rights. These are often mapped onto different world regions, with food justice movements more present in the US; food sovereignty movements louder in the Global South; feminist food movements more active in Latin America; and local food movements commonly in the Global North. This article brings together diverse strands of activism and research on social inequalities related to food under the conceptual umbrella of food inequalities. In addition to concept building, it contributes to a sociology of food studies by mapping the geopolitics of knowledge about social change behind the growing mobilization around food issues.

Este ensaio explora como a América Latina oferece um lócus privilegiado para o cientista social lidar com o desafio epistemológico que é o ajuste entre a teoria e os fatos. O argumento é que, embora se trate de um desafio comum a todos os cientistas sociais, ele se torna mais explícito enquanto tal para o cientista social latino-americano, pois este exerce um ofício cujas formulações teóricas e conceituais foram desenvolvidas em uma tradição de outro tempo e de outro lugar. Ao realizar o ajuste entre estas teorias e estes conceitos e a realidade contemporânea latino-americana, o cientista social latino-americano expande, de forma original, a universalidade da matriz disciplinar das Ciências Sociais.

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Diskussion über die Zukunft der brasilianischen Demokratie und Möglichkeiten zivilgesellschaftlichen Widerstands.

This empirical investigation contrasts urban food sharing practices in community gardens of two global cities facing the problems of urban vacant land and the violation of the right to food. The central inquiry guiding this investigation is: How do the principles of the right to food relate to food sharing practices within Berlin and Rio de Janeiro community gardens, and what factors explain the similarities and differences in these connections within and between these cities? The hypothesis suggests that urban food sharing within community gardens can be linked to right to food. These connections may vary based on unique socioeconomic contexts and urban challenges in each city. To empirically assess this hypothesis, the study formulated the theoretical proposition that the human right to food, the concept of urban commons, and the establishment of community gardens serve as mechanisms for addressing urban land and food crises. Interviews and questionnaires applied between 2019-2023 characterized community gardens' territorial and sociodemographic profiles by engaging with gardeners and experts (40 in total). The data had a thematic coding and analysis, combining deductive and inductive reasoning. The results confirmed the hypothesis. However, agroecological food production emerged as a unifying factor across both cities, demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainable practices. This suggests a significant international step toward social-ecological transformation in urban food and land management. The findings expanded the existing literature on the role of urban agriculture and alert for the necessary promotion and protection of community gardens.

This empirical investigation contrasts urban food sharing practices in community gardens of two global cities facing the problems of urban vacant land and the violation of the right to food. The central inquiry guiding this investigation is: How do the principles of the right to food relate to food sharing practices within Berlin and Rio de Janeiro community gardens, and what factors explain the similarities and differences in these connections within and between these cities? The hypothesis suggests that urban food sharing within community gardens can be linked to right to food. These connections may vary based on unique socioeconomic contexts and urban challenges in each city. To empirically assess this hypothesis, the study formulated the theoretical proposition that the human right to food, the concept of urban commons, and the establishment of community gardens serve as mechanisms for addressing urban land and food crises. Interviews and questionnaires applied between 2019-2023 characterized community gardens' territorial and sociodemographic profiles by engaging with gardeners and experts (40 in total). The data had a thematic coding and analysis, combining deductive and inductive reasoning. The results confirmed the hypothesis. However, agroecological food production emerged as a unifying factor across both cities, demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainable practices. This suggests a significant international step toward social-ecological transformation in urban food and land management. The findings expanded the existing literature on the role of urban agriculture and alert for the necessary promotion and protection of community gardens.

Local States/Spaces of Exception Conclusions; References; Beyond Curse and Blessing: Rentier Society in Venezuela; Introduction; Natural Resources, Rents and Development: An Overview of Scholarly Debates; Shortcomings of the Current Rentier and Resource Curse Debate; Beyond Curse and Blessing: Analytical Starting Points for a Deeper Understanding of Rentier Societies; A Crucial Case Study: Venezuela's Rentier Society; The Distribution of Rent Income in Venezuela; Reclaiming the Rent: Oil and Venezuelan Society; Conclusions; References