Bill Friedland's emeriti lecture focuses on California wine industry

UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of Community Studies Bill Friedland will deliver a free public lecture "Trampling Out Advantage: the Political Economy of California Wine and Grapes" Monday, March 4th at 7 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall on the UCSC campus. Parking in the Theater Arts parking lot is $4.

The talk is adapted from Friedland's nearly completed book on the wine industry. Friedland joined the UCSC faculty in 1969 as the founding chair of Community Studies, UCSC's first interdisciplinary department. He retired from teaching in 1991 but has continued his work as a research professor

He was one of the founders of the sociology of agriculture and food and pioneered the analysis of California agriculture commodities for which he was named a "distinguished rural sociologist" by the Rural Sociological Association. The honor was bestowed at the association's 2012 awards ceremony in Chicago. Friedland was lauded for his role as mentor and inspiration to many rural sociologists who study the social impacts of changing structures of agriculture.

This free lecture,  the first emeriti lecture of the year, is co-sponsored by the UCSC Emeriti Association and the Office of the Chancellor and is open to all campus and community members.