Johana Kunin
  |
Johana Kunin is a social anthropologist and researcher at Universidad de San Martín, Argentina. She has worked as an anthropologist focusing on agricultural issues for the past 13 years. Her research examines how prosperous rural farmers, agronomists, and other actors in the Argentine Pampas perceive, rationalize, and morally negotiate the risks of pesticide/agrochemical use, engaging with the coexistence of wealth and hazard, human/non-human relations, and the lived contradictions between public safety claims and private doubts — drawing on posthumanist and science-and-technology-studies (STS) frameworks and moral economy debates, in collaboration with Professor Pablo Lapegna of the University of Georgia, USA.
Johana Kunin joins the Paris IAS in March 2027 for a one-month writing residency.
Research subjects
Agrarian Anthropology; Risk Perception and Agrochemicals; Gender and Rural Development; Moral Economy, Multispecies and Posthumanist Studies; Science and Technology Studies (STS); Latin American Studies.
With or Without You: A Literature Review on Human–Chemical Relations in the Americas
Synthetic chemicals are ubiquitous in modern life, forming the foundation of industries such as energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. From plastics and detergents to "forever chemicals" and insecticides, these substances enable convenience while posing serious risks to human health and the environment. This duality underscores the ambivalence of modernity: chemicals cannot be easily forgone, yet their pervasive presence threatens ecosystems, public health, and future sustainability.
Johana Kunin’s project critically analyzes the human–chemical relationship through a comprehensive literature review of qualitative studies conducted in the Americas over the past years, focusing on three key themes: regimes of knowledge and ignorance, chemical infrastructures and industrial systems, and the health consequences of chemical exposure — questions that are ethically pressing given their disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities in the region.
Drawing on anthropology, sociology, environmental studies, and public health, the project also critically assesses the positionality of researchers, exploring how their encounters with the chemical world influence knowledge production. By mapping key studies and approaches, it aims to provide a deeper understanding of how this relationship has been studied, identify gaps in the literature, and propose directions for future interdisciplinary research.
Understanding the human–chemical relationship is essential for addressing the pressing challenges of contemporary life. By illuminating the interconnected questions of knowledge, infrastructures, and public health, the project reveals the significance of prior research and its relevance for the ongoing issues of chemical exposure and environmental justice: the health of individuals, ecosystems, and the planet depends on the ability to critically examine and address this ambivalence.
Key publications
Lapegna, P., Kunin, J., & Palmisano, T. "Between Regulation and Practice: Situated Pesticide Governance in Argentina." Studies in Comparative International Development, 59, 288–312, 2024
DOI: 10.1007/s12116-023-09422
Lapegna, P., & Kunin, J. "Ambiguities at Sites of Acceptance: Agrarian Neoliberalism and Herbicide Exposure in Argentina." Environmental Justice, 16(1), 82–88, 2023
DOI: 10.1089/env.2021.0104
Kunin, J. "Rural Women Redefining Care and Agency in the Argentine Pampas." Studies in Social Justice, 17(2), 185–203, 2023.
DOI: 10.26522/ssj.v17i2.3404
|
|
|
|
|
|