作為企業霸權的孟山都: 沃勒斯坦世界體系理論在全球農業企業中的應用

Abstract

孟山都已成為全球農業與環境辯論中的核心行動者，其企業策略深刻形塑了全球範圍內的農業實踐與生態後果。本論文以伊曼紐爾．沃勒斯坦（Immanuel Wallerstein）本人對當前世界結構正處於轉型之中的承認作為出發點。依其預測，現代世界體系的終結預期將在 2050 年之前發生；此一體系起源可追溯至四個多世紀以前，屆時將不復存在。因此，本研究將以一種更新且更具當代性的視角，重新檢視「霸權」的概念——亦即一個國家或全球權力在農工產業、商業與金融領域中所展現的支配地位。然而，繼起體系及其霸權形態的具體特徵仍然充滿不確定性，即便沃勒斯坦曾提出若干預測，亦未能加以明確界定。基於此，本論文嘗試引入「企業霸權」的概念，以期將世界體系理論調整並適用於當前情境，並以孟山都作為研究對象。藉由既有理論框架，本研究旨在分析孟山都如何體現霸權權力，其方法在於檢視近年來於訴訟過程中解密並公開的公司內部溝通文件。透過上述實證資料，本文的分析聚焦於三個核心面向：孟山都的霸權運作機制、其企業韌性與脆弱性，以及此一案例對世界體系理論所帶來的理論意涵。本研究之整體目標，在於促進國際關係理論、農業企業研究與環境政治之間的理論連結與對話。

Monsanto has emerged as a central actor in global agriculture and environmental debates, whose corporate strategies have shaped agricultural practices and ecological consequences on the globe. This thesis starts from the acknowledgement by Immanuel Wallerstein himself that the structure of the world as it exists is undergoing transformations. Expected to occur before 2050, the modern world-system, whose origins trace back to more than four centuries, will cease to exist. As such, the hegemony as characterized by the dominance of a state, a global power, in the agro-industrial, commercial, and financial domains will be examined from a renewed and more contemporary perspective. Yet, the features of the successor system and hegemon remain uncertain, and Wallerstein was unable to delineate them in spite of a few predictions. This thesis thus seeks to investigate the notion of a corporate hegemon in an attempt to adapt the world-systems theory to a present context, with Monsanto as the subject of study. Drawing on existing frameworks, the research aims at analyzing how Monsanto embodies hegemonic power, through an analysis of communications internal to the company and declassified as part of litigation processes in recent years. With this evidence, the analysis highlights three central points: Monsanto’s hegemonic mechanisms, corporate resilience and vulnerabilities, and implications for world-systems theory. This research is framed within the objective of contributing at connecting International Relations theory, agribusiness studies, and environmental politics.