Book description
Queen bee. Worker bees. Busy as a bee. These phrases have shaped
perceptions of women for centuries, but how did these stereotypes
begin? Who are the women who keep bees and what can we learn from
them? Beeconomy examines the fascinating evolution of the relationship
between women and bees around the world. From Africa to Australia to
Asia, women have participated in the pragmatic aspects of honey
hunting and in the more advanced skills associated with beekeeping as
hive technology has advanced through the centuries.
Synthesizing the various aspects of hive-related products, such as
beewax and cosmetics, as well as the more specialized skills of queen
production and knowledge-based economies of research and science,
noted bee expert Tammy Horn documents how and why women should
consider being beekeepers. The women profiled in the book suggest ways
of managing careers, gender discrimination, motherhood, marriage, and
single-parenting -- all while enjoying the community created by women
who work with honey bees. Horn finds in beekeeping an opportunity for
a new sustainable economy, one that takes into consideration
environment, children, and family needs.
Beeconomy not only explores globalization, food history, gender
studies, and politics; it is a collective call to action.
""Fresh and original.... Horn has read and travelled
widely -- across five continents -- to create this social account of
beekeeping."--Bees for Development Journal" --
Tammy Horn was raised with beekeepers on both sides of her family.
She is the director of Coal Country Beeworks, a multi-service project
in which surface mine sites are reclaimed with pollinator habitat in
eastern Kentucky. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
