New Research Explores the Microbiopolitics of Cultivated Meat and Aquaponics

As part of Research Project 7 (Conflict and Technologies in the Anthropocene), researchers from the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences – Dr. Lukáš Senft, Assoc. Prof. Tereza Stöckelová, and Dr. Varvara Borisova – have published a new study titled “The Microbiopolitics of Novel Foods: The Pro- and Antibiotic Implications of Cultivated Meat and Aquaponic Farming” in the journal Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies (University of California Press).

The article examines how novel food technologies, specifically cultivated meat and aquaponic farming, reconfigure our relationships with microbial life. Moving beyond traditional views of microbes solely as threats to be eradicated (antibiotic approach) or beneficial agents to be harnessed (probiotic approach), the research shows how these emerging technologies combine both logics in practice. By analyzing these complex microbiopolitical dynamics, the authors offer critical insights into food sustainability, technological innovation, and the future of sustainable food systems.

The authors recently discussed their findings, research themes, and broader implications for food sustainability in an episode of the Gastronomica podcast on the New Books Network.