INSIDE:

NEWS/STORIES/ARTICLES
Book Reviews
Columns/Opinion/Cartoon
Films
International
National
NW/Local
Recipes
Special A.C.E. Stories
Online Paper (PDF)

NW RESOURCE GUIDE
Archives
Consulates
NW Job Market
Organizations
Scholarships
Special Sections

Upcoming

The Asian Reporter Thirteenth Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet -
April, 2011

May, 2011

Asian Reporter Info

About Us

Advertising Info.

AR Merchandise
Contact Us
Subscription Info. & Back Issues

ASIA LINKS
Asian Studies
Currency Exchange
More Asian Links
Public Holidays
Time Zones


Copyright © 2000 - 2010
AR Home

My Turn by Marie Lo

From The Asian Reporter, V20, #5 (February 2, 2010), page 6.

Even though it is still winter, I am already dreaming about this year’s garden. My plan is to have a greater variety of vegetables and to be on the ball when it comes to canning and preserving our harvest.

We are obviously part of a growing trend. My family’s desire to grow our own food is shaped by an increased awareness of the ecological ramifications of what and how we eat. And in Portland, there are a lot of like-minded people and organizations to whom we can turn for resources and support.

I was at a bookstore last year and saw a huge display devoted to urban homesteading. This term has really taken off, and it’s everywhere. I love the ideas promoted by the urban homesteading movement: self-sufficiency, eating locally, sustainability, recycling, handmade versus mass produced, energy conservation, and enjoying the pleasures of a more simple life. And in the current economic downturn, it is an enticing alternative to the unchecked consumption and crass consumerism that contributed to the financial crisis.

But, I have to say, I really dislike the term "urban homesteading." We live in a very different time from those who actually lived on homesteads. We have modern conveniences and amenities early settlers didn’t. And though "homesteading" lends an aura of grandiosity and epic purpose to our endeavors, let’s face it. We’re homestead-lite. We’re just playacting at roughing it. It’s the equivalent of going camping beside a hotel. If we are ever sick of sleeping in the tent, we know we can always get a room.

More troubling, the term "homesteading" recalls the kind of pioneering rhetoric that justified westward expansion and the clearing of Native Americans from their land. Urban homesteading romanticizes the past of rugged individualism and overlooks the fact that the Homestead Act of 1862 was brutal to Native American tribes. It essentially took their lands and gave them to settlers of European descent. Homesteading has a colonial racial history, and our current embrace of the term erases that history.

I recognize that "urban homesteading" is awfully catchy, and all movements — if they are to move people — must capture imaginations and speak to aspirations. But do we have to resurrect a term that has left such a destructive legacy?

Why not come up with a new term, one that reflects our historical moment and its particular contradictions and ironies, such as the huge numbers of blogs out there that emphasize "getting back to the earth?" Getting back to the earth is not equivalent to getting back to the past, so how do we capture the integration of technology, social networking, and media oversaturation in the promotion of sustainable practices?

I like the term "homegrown evolution," the blog name of a couple who are, ironically, the authors of a book titled The Urban Homestead.

Another possibility is "urban farming," which has also become very popular. However, to call what we are doing in our 40’ x 40’ backyard — with our uneven garden beds and wobbly chicken coop — "farming" might be an insult to farmers.

So, if you had to capture this growing shift in attitude toward our food and ecosystems, what would you call it? How would you characterize the movement?