Chapter 1-Introduction
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THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED AGRICULTURE AND FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES (GEORGIA) AND NEW ZEALAND (CANTERBURY) by Tiffany Rinne (Under the Direction of Bram Tucker) ABSTRACT Using a Social Construction of Technology Framework (SCOT), this dissertation looks at cross-cultural differences in cultural perceptions of genetically engineered food and crops (GE), between United States (US) and New Zealand (NZ) stakeholder groups [consumers, organic farmers, GE farmers (US), GE-amenable farmers (NZ)]. Multiple methodologies were utilized to gain a full and deep understanding of how GE technology is socially constructed within the US and NZ. Methodologies include cultural modeling of respondent discourse, media analysis of major newspapers and TV outlets utilized by participants, and analysis of historical literature as well as national identity and national branding literature. The US and NZ were chosen for comparison because both nations are economically dependent on their large agricultural sectors, yet their respective governments and general publics have responded with opposing positions to GE food and crops. GE technology is highly controversial. Proponents promote its potential to significantly increase global food production, improve food nutritional quality and decrease agrochemical use while opponents question its safety and morality. The research indicates that national identity and branding as well as cultural models of health and environment are important mediators of genetic engineering perceptions and partially account for GE’s adoption in the US and non-adoption in New Zealand. The findings also suggest that foundational schema found in respondent cultural models of health and the environment may be influencing media interpretations of GE coverage with respondents choosing to ignore media frames, which do not align with their preexisting cultural schema. By gaining an understanding of the cultural elements influencing the GE debate, a greater understanding of the roots of international conflict over biotechnology are garnered and this dissertation concludes by offering insights on how to improve communication during public debates between US and NZ stakeholders regarding GE technology. INDEX WORDS: Cultural modeling, Genetic engineering agricultural and food technology, Media analysis, National identity, National brandings, New Zealand THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED AGRICULTURE AND FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES (GEORGIA) AND NEW ZEALAND (CANTERBURY) by Tiffany Rinne B.S., Wake Forest University, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2008 ©2008 Tiffany Rinne All Rights Reserved. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED AGRICULTURE AND FOOD TECHNOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES (GEORGIA) AND NEW ZEALAND (CANTERBURY) by TIFFANY RINNE Major Professor: Bram Tucker Committee: Robert Rhoades Susan Tanner Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2008 Dedication To my parents Larry and Carol Rinne and my fiancé David Maclagan for their unwavering support iv Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support of several different agencies and individuals. I would first like to thank Dr. Bram Tucker for stepping in to be my major advisor after my two previous advisors had left the university. His support and insights into this dissertation were invaluable. Second I would like to thank my two previous advisors Dr. Alexandra Brewis and Dr. Carolyn Ehardt for getting me starting along the path to a very fruitful dissertation research project. I would also like to thank the rest of my committee, Dr. Robert Rhoades and Dr. Susan Tanner for their support in the dissertation completion process. I would be remiss not to thank the Anthropology office staff for their help and support throughout my time at UGA. Labau, Margie, Jill and Lisa I truly appreciate all your help and kind words along the way. A thank you goes to Associate Professor John Fairweather, at the Lincoln University Agribusiness & Economics Research Unit, for generously giving me his time and support while I was in New Zealand. Thanks go to all the research participants in both the US and NZ who took the time to talk with me and share their insights regarding genetic engineering technology. This report would not have been possible without their participation and generosity. I would like to thank all my friends and family who have been supportive of my research goals. Thanks go to Larry and Carol Rinne for supporting my desire to get a degree in Anthropology and to travel to a land far, far away, to my UGA friends, Meredith Welch-Devine, Eial Dujovny, Jim Siegel, Jen Schaffer, Beth Lovern, John Turck, Tammy Watkins, Caroline Weathers, Gregory Gullette, James Hurlburt, Sarah Hunt and the BEEDL lab for your friendship v and generosity and to my fiancé David Maclagan for giving me peace, happiness and an endless supply of motivation to finish this dissertation. Finally I would like to thank Fulbright New Zealand and the National Science Foundation for making it possible for me to go to New Zealand and complete my dissertation research. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgments..........................................................................................v List of Tables..............................................................................................xiii List of Figures..............................................................................................xv Chapter 1 - Introduction...................................................................................1 What is Genetic Engineering in Agriculture?.............................................................2 A History of Public Perceptions of GE in the United States and New Zealand...................5 Understanding Technological Acceptance: The Social Construction of Technology Paradigm ...................................................................................................................8 The Research Questions.......................................................................................10 Field Sites........................................................................................................13 Research Design and Methodology.........................................................................14 Summary of Chapter Contents and Results..............................................................17 Chapter 2 - Historically Pertinent Background Information about the United States and New Zealand...........................................................................................22 US Biogeography ...............................................................................................22 New Zealand Biogeography .................................................................................24 US Economics ..................................................................................................24 New Zealand Economics .....................................................................................25 A Brief History of Technology in the United States....................................................26 A Brief History of Technology in New Zealand.........................................................31 vii A Brief History of Post-Colonial United States Agriculture..........................................33 A Brief History of Post-Colonial New Zealand Agriculture..........................................36 A History of Genetic Engineering and Genetic Engineering Policy in the United States......40 A History of Genetic Engineering and Genetic Engineering Policy in New Zealand...........45 Similarities and Differences Between the US and New Zealand....................................48 Chapter 3 - National Identity and Nation Branding...............................................50 Anthropology and National Character Research........................................................51 US and New Zealand National Identities.................................................................52 Nation Branding................................................................................................56 Brand America..................................................................................................58 Brand New Zealand............................................................................................59 The Economics of Nation Branding........................................................................60 Nation Branding and the New Zealand Economy.......................................................61 Nation Branding and the Case of the United States Economy.......................................64 National Identity, National Branding and the Acceptance of Genetic Engineering Agricultural Technology.................................................................................66 Chapter 4 - Cognitive Modeling: Introduction, Research Design, Methodology, and Analysis..................................................................................................71 A History.........................................................................................................72 Schema Theory..................................................................................................75 Research Questions and Corresponding