Nil Alt
My doctoral research examines the political economy of western Turkey's export-oriented sweet cherry production, focusing on the intersections of uneven development, labour exploitation, and nature-society relations. I challenge the dominant narrative of agricultural success by revealing how this high-value export commodity is produced through processes of social differentiation and systemic fragility. I ask: how are land, labour, and nature reorganized to meet the demands of global markets, and who bears the costs?
Drawing on the dis/articulations perspective, developed by Bair and Werner in Critical Global Production Network (GPN) studies, my dissertation traces the contradictory and contingent dynamics that shape the cherry frontier. I analyze three key processes. First, the subordination of small farmers in export value chains. Second, the racialized and gendered differentiation of migrant labour, particularly Kurdish workers. Third, the social production of a capitalist nature, in which chemicals rework orchard ecologies to align biological rhythms with market demands.
My research is grounded in immersive participant observation and in-depth interviews with a wide range of actors, including farmers, labour contractors, migrant workers, entrepreneurs, and government officials. This empirical foundation allows me to contribute to critical debates on agro-export intensification, state-capital relations, and the political economy of agriculture and nature at large. Ultimately, I highlight the significant social and ecological consequences this agricultural model has for smallholders, workers, and the environment.
Publications
Alt, N. (2021, July). Sweet cherries bitter lives: A photo-writing project on sweet cherry production in Western Turkey [Research creation, doctoral fieldwork project]. Looking at the Garden Fence. https://lookingatthegardenfence.com/nilalt.html
Alt, N. (2021). Work and Gender in Turkey’s Export-Oriented Agriculture: The Case of Sweet Cherries. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).
Alt, N. (2025). Cultivating Consent: Frontier-Making and the Politics of Smallholder Subordination in Western Turkey’s Sweet Cherry Frontier. New Perspectives in Turkey.
Supervisors
Sarah Wakefield and Mike Ekers
People Type:
Political economy and ecology of agriculture, global production networks, uneven development, feminist geography, labour regimes, migration, research methodologies, photo-writing.
