The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating

A Reader

James L Watson editor Melissa L Caldwell editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:3rd Nov '04

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating cover

The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating offers an ethnographically informed perspective on the ways in which people use food to make sense of life in an increasingly interconnected world.

  • Uses food as a central idiom for teaching about culture and addresses broad themes such as globalization, capitalism, market economies, and consumption practices
  • Spanning 5 continents, features studies from 11 countries—Japan, China, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, Burkina Faso, Chile, Trinidad, Mexico, and the United States
  • Offers discussion of such hot topics as sushi, fast food, gourmet foods, and food scares and contamination

“Here at last is a comprehensive, thoroughly absorbing reader on contemporary culinary tastes and techniques. No student of food, globalization, or political economy can afford to overlook this valuable collection.” Stanley Brandes, University of California, Berkeley


“A fascinating collection of essays that ranges from everyday food consumption to the global politics of food. The analyses yield surprising insights into familiar products and the social world of which they are such an important part. While the book, unlike its subjects, is inedible, it is highly readable and intellectually nutritious.” George Ritzer, University of Maryland

"...provides fascinating glimpses of the behind-the-scene world of global food distribution and economics and their societal impacts on people living very different lives on opposite ends of the world" Journal of Sensory Studies

"The book provides a fascinating journey through the politics, economics and culture of food in a globalized society...this book is a gold mine of thought-provoking facts, ideas and concepts...a literary delight." Journal of Sociolinguistics

"A good tool for an introductory course on culture and society or perhaps a more advanced course on food, politics and global movements." Social Anthropology

ISBN: 9780631230922

Dimensions: 253mm x 173mm x 30mm

Weight: 737g

336 pages