Godmothers Gather: Jeffrey Hoelle

Jeffrey Hoelle, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins us to discuss “Cultivated: Plants, Hair, and the Aesthetic of Control,” an exploration of the concept of cultivation, as conducted on both the land and the body.

In “Cultivated,” Jeffrey traces the imprint of cultivation across the naturally growing covers of the land and body—plants and hair. The book builds from research in the agricultural fields and cattle pastures at the edge of the Amazon rainforest to domestic landscapes and hair salons and shops in the frontier cities of Brazil and beyond. In spaces where the tangled forest once stood, clean pastures and ordered rows of crops now sit on properties with geometric edges. From rural spaces to immaculate lawns and cemeteries in the city, the imprint leads to the body, where hair, like plant growth, is cut, trimmed, and otherwise managed. Seemingly separate domains of agriculture, landscaping, and personal grooming are governed by a similar aesthetic of control.

This unique pairing of land and body expands our understanding of cultivation as a practice and as an ideology that operates in frontier Amazonia—but also closer to home, influencing how we conceptualize and interpret the covers that grow on and around us.

This event will be hosted in our third-floor loft space, which is only accessible by stairs.

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Please note: Out of respect for our authors and other guests—and to ensure everyone's safety—the front door will be locked 15 minutes after the event starts.

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This is a ticketed event.

TICKET OPTIONS INCLUDE:

// TICKET + BOOK includes one entry + one copy of the book, which will be handed out at check-in the night of the event.

// TICKET ONLY includes one entry.

// OPENING ACT tickets are lower-priced spots for early birds. They’re limited in number, and when they’re gone, they’re gone, so get them while they last.

Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

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