Mrill Ingram, CIAS research fellow and research scientist for Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, is speaking at the March 2nd Science and Technology Studies (STS) lunch seminar. She will discuss her book “Loving Orphaned Space: The Art and Science of Belonging to the Earth”, chosen as a 2022 favorite book of the year by The Progressive magazine. Ingram was also awarded the Jackson Prize, administered by the Association of American Geographers, for her book’s ability to convey the insights of professional geography in language that is interesting and attractive to a lay audience.

How we relate to orphaned space matters. We all are familiar with such spaces, but why do they exist? Ingram maintains that they are created and maintained by our political economy, so that their existence is habitually unquestioned. In her book, Ingram calls us to claim these neglected spaces and reimagine them.

Ingram explores case studies that illustrate “radical caring” for orphaned space. These field stories feature community collaborations in Chicago, New York and Fargo, North Dakota that challenge us to build networks to care for land. She explores environmental justice issues such as Tribal land grabs, and how race, gender, and class issues contribute to creating orphaned space.

The Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies hosts events on Thursdays, 12:30-1:30ps, 5013 Vilas Communications Hall. For more information on this and other events, go to https://sts.wisc.edu/event/mrill-ingram/

The Robert F. and Jean E. Holtz Center for Science & Technology Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison fosters interdisciplinary research, education and public outreach in humanistic and social studies of science, technology, biomedicine, engineering and the environment. The Holtz Center is a gathering place for scholars across campus, and sponsors workshops, symposia and courses on a broad array of themes from diverse analytical perspectives.