Jenske Bal have the pleasure of inviting you to the public defence of her PhD dissertation, Breeding Difference: Conserving and farming with native Dutch cattle breeds in times of ecological trouble, supervised by dr. François Thoreau, dr. Else Vogel and dr. Daniele Valisena. The thesis defence committee includes: dr. Kim Hendrickx (president), prof. dr. Beth Greenhough, and dr. Daniel Münster.

The defence will take place on 15 September 2026 from 15:00 to 17:00 at the Sart Tilman Campus of the University of Liège in building B31, room Salle du Conseil. It is also possible to follow the defence online through the following Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/332888219095505?p=aujCmt0abuSJdR0J5a

Thesis abstract:

For over a century, cattle farming in the Netherlands has been shaped by standardisation, producing increasing sameness across landscapes, genes, and bodies. The rise of the highly productive Holstein-Friesian breed was accompanied by a decline in the populations of breeds native to the Netherlands. These developments raise growing concerns about biodiversity loss and the ecological consequences of intensive agriculture. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, Breeding Difference examines how native Dutch breeds are valued in breeding, conservation, and farming practices that seek to foster diversity. It traces how differences between cattle, landscapes, and ways of farming are established, valued, and sustained. Conservation, the dissertation argues, involves more than preserving genes or ecosystems: it entails caring for the more-than-human relations, infrastructures, and conditions through which diverse forms of life can flourish.

Link to Orbi: https://hdl.handle.net/2268/348166