In this two-day symposium, we investigate how and why people keep seeds—forms of matter that literally bring life and figuratively feed futures. We weave together diverse expertise to better define which seed keeping practices existed in the past, what seed keeping looks like in the present, how seed banks operate—and to what future purpose. Practical, political, social, economic, and existential “future” thinking are all wrapped up in such collections of seeds.
Symposium participants examine why people collect seeds and what they perceive themselves to be protecting by creating seed collections. This approach gets to the heart of the question: Why and how are seed futures built? And further: How is seed keeping more than a practice of physical collection and curation? How is seed keeping also a practice of active cultural remembering?
More practically, we address the various ways that seed banks have been physically built and curated, as well as some of the challenges people face in their efforts to protect seeds and preserve cultural knowledge. We also consider which ethical and practical obligations scholars might have to past stewards, present day seed keepers, and future propagators—and to the seeds themselves—as they engage in the study of seed keeping.
Our twelve speakers and six discussants are clustered into six broad themes: seed collections as deep history, seed collections as heritage, seed collections as kin, seed collections as futures, seed collections as property, and seed collections as germplasm.
Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island
April 12-13, 2025
Co-Organizers:
Shanti Morell-Hart (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Brown University)
Stacie M. King (Professor and Chair of Anthropology, Indiana University)