In today's article, we are going to dive into the exciting world of Anthropology of food. From its origins to the present, Anthropology of food has played a fundamental role in society, impacting both on a personal and global level. Over the years, Anthropology of food has evolved and adapted to the changes of the modern world, staying relevant in different areas. Through this article, we will explore the most relevant aspects of Anthropology of food, analyzing its influence in different contexts and its importance today. Don't miss this complete guide on Anthropology of food!
Anthropology of food is a sub-discipline of anthropology that connects an ethnographic and historical perspective with contemporary social issues in food production and consumption systems.
Although early anthropological accounts often dealt with cooking and eating as part of ritual or daily life, food was rarely regarded as the central point of academic focus. This changed in the later half of the 20th century, when foundational work by Mary Douglas, Marvin Harris, Arjun Appadurai, Jack Goody, and Sidney Mintz cemented the study of food as a key insight into modern social life. Mintz is known as the "Father of food anthropology" for his 1985 work Sweetness and Power, which linked British demand for sugar with the creation of empire and exploitative industrial labor conditions.
Research has traced the material and symbolic importance of food, as well as how they intersect. Examples of ongoing themes are food as a form of differentiation, commensality, and food's role in industrialization and globalizing labor and commodity chains.
Several related and interdisciplinary academic programs exist in the US and UK (listed under Food studies institutions).
"Anthropology of food" is also the name of a scientific journal dedicated to a social analysis of food practices and representations. Created in 1999 (first issue published in 2001), it is multilingual (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese). It is OpenAccess, and accessible through the portal OpenEdition Journals. It complies with academic standards for scientific journals (double-blind peer-review). It publishes a majority of papers in social anthropology, but is also open to contributions from historians, geographers, philosophers, economists. The first issues published include:
Special issues (from thematic workshops) include: