The Sovereign Poison

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Growing concerns over pesticide exposure have fueled calls for stricter regulations. Yet governments—often constrained by the pressures of global markets—frequently fall short of implementing effective controls. The Sovereign Poison explores the failed efforts of both the European Parliament and the Sri Lankan government to ban glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide. Introducing the concept of “poisoncraft,” Tom Widger delves into the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding poison that played a key role in these controversies, and traces humanity’s long and complex relationship with toxic substances. Using a wide-angle anthropological lens, this book examines poison in its many forms—as a tool of witchcraft and magic, a language of value and exchange, a discourse of nationalist politics, and a foundational element of the global food system. By illuminating the intersections of science, politics, and regulation with public demands for sovereign control, Widger reveals the deeper cultural logics and power dynamics that underpin the global governance of pesticides.