We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2019-2020 Joan Eakin Award for Methodological Excellence in a Qualitative Doctoral Dissertation is Dr. Sarah Elton, for her dissertation titled A posthumanist study of health and the food system: Vegetal politics in Toronto Urban Gardens in the Anthropocene.
The Awards Committee had the following to say about Dr. Elton’s work: “This is a really outstanding submission that abounds with creativity and innovation. Employing posthumanist theory, this multispecies ethnography examines how plants support human health in the city. In doing so, it challenges our notions of who and what are social actors. The notion of ‘vegetal politics’, plants as participants and the co-constructed nature of Dr. Elton’s research are highly intriguing and forward-thinking. Through a masterful flow and logic of argumentation, and a high level of reflexivity, Dr. Elton pushes the boundaries of qualitative research and yet is always rigorous and theoretically grounded. The language she uses demonstrates a creative playfulness that is refreshing in scholarly work and indeed, all too rare.” You can view Dr. Elton’s dissertation on the University of Toronto’s TSpace website.
The image at the top of the page is a photo that Dr. Elton shared with us from her dissertation project.
For more information about the award and how to apply click here
