Biography

Elizabeth Ransom’s research interests are in the areas of international development and globalization, the sociology of agriculture and food, and social studies of science and technology. She has two ongoing research programs. 

The first program focuses on the linkages between Southern African (South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia) red meat industries and global food systems. The second program analyzes international agricultural development assistance in developing countries, with an emphasis on the ways in which agricultural assistance targets women and focuses on gender empowerment. 

She has also published articles focused on the global red meat trade, gender and agricultural development assistance, agricultural biotechnologies, and the patterns and problems surrounding modern food consumption practices. 

A tertiary area of research involves studying structured inequalities in sports. She also teaches courses within these areas of interest including, Feast and Famine: Inequalities in the Global Food System, Social Studies of Science and Technology, and Sport in Society. 

Ransom’s latest book is Global Meat: Social and Environmental Consequences of the Expanding Meat Industry  (MIT Press, 2019). Edited in collaboration with Bill Winders of Georgia Institute of Technology, the volume examines the growth of the global meat industry and the implications for climate change, food insecurity, workers’ rights, the treatment of animals, and other issues.