Dr. Elizabeth P. Ransom
Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Elizabeth Ransom research interests are in the areas of international development and globalization, the sociology of agriculture and food, and social studies of science and technology. Her recent research focuses on the linkages between Southern African (South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia) red meat industries and global food systems. She has published several articles focused on the global red meat trade, agricultural biotechnologies, and the patterns and problems surrounding modern food consumption practices. A secondary area of research involves studying structured inequalities in sports. She also teaches courses within these areas of interest including, Feast & Famine: Inequalities in the Global Food System, Social Studies of Science and Technology, and Sport in Society.
302G Weinstein Hall
Office: (804) 289-8068
Fax: (804) 287-1278
Research:
Globalization and development (Southern Africa)
Social studies of science and technology
Political economy of agriculture and food
Sociology of sport
Education:
Ph.D., Michigan State University
M.A., Michigan State University
B.A., Western Carolina University
Selected Publications:
Ransom, E. 2007. “The Rise of Agricultural Animal Welfare Standards as Understood Through a Neo-Institutional Lens.” International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food 15 (3): 26-44.
Tanaka, K., and E. Ransom. 2007. “Networks of Actions, Agency of Networks: The Cases of New Zealand and South Africa in the Global Red Meat Chain.” The Fight Over Food: Producers, Consumers, and Activists Challenge the Global Food System. Pennsylvania State University Press, Rural Studies Series.
Ransom, E. 2006. “Defining a Good Steak: Global Constructions of What is Considered the Best Red Meat.” In Jim Bingen and Lawrence Busch (Ed.), Standards and the Shape of our Global Food and Fiber System. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Duster, T. and E. Ransom. 2006. “One Thing to Do About Food: A Forum” in The Nation, September 11, 2006. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060911/forum/3
Wright, W. and E. Ransom. 2005. “Stratification on the Menu: Using Restaurant Menus to Examine Social Class.” Teaching Sociology (3): 310-316.
Wright, W., E. Ransom and K. Tanaka. 2005. “Constructing Confidence: The Framing of the American Case of BSE.” Illness, Crisis, and Loss 13 (2): 95-115.
Middendorf, G., M. Skladany, E. Ransom, and L. Busch. 2002. “New Agricultural Biotechnologies: The Struggle for Democratic Choice.” In Carole M. Counihan (ed.), Food in the USA. New York: Routledge, pp. 373-383 [Reprint].
Ransom, E. 1999. "Creating 'Uniformity': The Construction of Bodies in Women’s Collegiate Cross Country." Pp. 183-206 in Jeffery Sobal and Donna Maurer (eds.), Interpreting Weight: The Social Management of Fatness and Thinness. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.