Midterm #1 Lectures 1, 2 & 3 Flashcards
Dont fail (73 cards)
1
Q
What is food studies? What type of perspective? What is it concerned with?
A
- Concerned with interaction with nature and with other humans in the production, consumption and distribution of food
- Interdisciplinary approach to the study of food
- Links different disciplines and different methodologies
- Systems perspective
2
Q
What is a systems perspective?
A
System perspective means that it looks at social reality as a sum of inter-related and overlapping parts
-Food studies uses a systems perspective
3
Q
What is critical analysis?
A
- Questions whether an argument is based on evidence rather than bias
- Questions the basic values that are behind dominant ideologies
- Questions issues of power dynamics
- Considers possibilities for social change, self reflection
4
Q
4 Major Thematic Approaches to Food Studies: Political Economy, Examples?
A
Examining how the historical processes or systems shape institutions in ways that reproduce patterns of social imbalance and conflict in society
-Ex: governance of food and food policy, global food systems, farmers, etc
5
Q
4 Major Thematic Approaches to Food Studies: Social and Cultural Perspectives, Examples?
A
Looks at intersections between food society and culture
feminist perspectives, queer theory and food, race studies etc
6
Q
What are the 4 Major Thematic Approaches to Food Studies:?
A
- Political Economy
- Social and Cultural Perspectives
- Environmental
- Health
7
Q
4 Major Thematic Approaches to Food Studies: Environmental, Examples?
A
The rising concerns about the impact of food systems on the environment (pollution, climate change, sustainability, perma-culture, )
8
Q
4 Major Thematic Approaches to Food Studies: Health, Examples?
A
linkages between food, health, agricultural policy. Examples include food related diseases, food choices, nutrition etc
9
Q
Main Ideas of the Bittman Video
A
Critiques the Western Diet, the food pyramid
Explains the red herring of food consumption, how convinence has changed the way we eat
10
Q
When was the first food crisis?
A
The first world food crisis was in 1972 when prices of the top three crops doubled or tripled, food became unstable and unpredictable
11
Q
When was the first food summit held?
A
The first world food summit was held in 1974 in Rome when food security became the top issue
-Food was framed as a right
12
Q
What is food security? What does it focus on?
A
Food security is related to making sure people have enough food but also making sure that farmers can sell crops
-Focus on social welfare, equality and justice movements
13
Q
What is food sovereignty?
A
Complemented the growing movement of food security
- It is the right of people to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods
- Also the right to define their own food and agriculture systems
14
Q
What is Via Campesina?
A
- International Peasants Movement
- Formed in 1993
- it is the int movement which brings together millions of peasants, farmers etc from around the world
15
Q
Food Banks
A
- Incomes grow more inequal in industrial nations and hunger becomes a bigger concern
- Food banks were developed to help with food insecurity but aren’t a sustainable solution
16
Q
What are the two ways to study food in society?
A
- Commodity Studies
2. Understanding Global Food Changes through Food Regimes
17
Q
What is commodity studies?
A
- Shows how specific food systems happen globally and historically by tracking commodities along supply chains
- using a food item as a lens to understand complex social issues
ex: Sugar and the rise of capitalism and colonialism
18
Q
How is a food regime used to study food systems? What is it a combination of?
A
This is a combination of bottom up commodity studies with top down analysis of world systems theory
19
Q
What is World Systems Theory?
A
Suggests that the world is interregional and transnational and is organized globally, often in trading blocs, rather than nation-states
-Core countries and semi-peripheral countries
20
Q
Some scholars see food regimes as ___________
A
Some scholars see food regimes as the link between international relations of production and the consumption of food and periods of captialist accumulation
-Hegemonic power dictates food policy
21
Q
What are the two most important historical food regimes?
A
- Britain (1870-1914)
2. US (1947-73)
22
Q
Characteristics of Food Regimes
A
Generally stable
Tensions or periods of conlifct but usually work themselves out
When they cannot work themselves out a food crisis occurs
periods of crisis can last long
23
Q
What is our current food crisis?
A
- Our current food regime is fractured
- Food and agriculture has been a source of tension and conflict since WTO and NAFTA
- Food safety and trade issues have been major sources of conflict
- Food systems is affected by financial, ecological, energy and health problems
24
Q
Examples of our current food crisis?
A
- Supermarkets dictating food habits
- Strawberries in January
- Corn Syrup
- Environmental costs
25
What new food regime may we be entering in? Why?
-Some scholars suggest we are entering into a "coporate food regime"
Because:
-Cerifications and labels are a site of conflict and tension
ex: fair trade coopted by large coops
-Label fatigue
-But also could be + in terms of grassroots initiatives around food policy, power of the public plate
26
What is label fatigue?
Consumers are wary of labells and oversaturation may mean that they dont even see them anymore
27
What is the power of the public plate?
Encouraging schools, hospitals and municipalities to feed people locally and ethically
28
What is food systems change?
Food systems change is a social movement and a set of piratical activities to transform the food sector of society
29
Examples of historical food system change?
- In the 1840s the British govt removed tariffs on wheat, opening up grain production in Canada and changing society in the colony
- The wheat collapse in the 1920s led to the Great Depression, created strong farmer led social movements across Canada
- The large agri-business, US led food regime led to counter culture food movements to offset industrial influences
30
With any change comes ____
Tension
31
What is a community of food practice?
- A suggestion for improvement
- It is a network of individuals and organizations-public, private and nonprofit, engaged in creating a regional, integrated, inclusive agri-food economy
- Communities of practice are run on trust and creativity
32
Political Ecology and the Industrial Food System Implications
- As we live in a world with very cheap food
- Food production comes from larger and larger farms owned by fewer and fewer corporations
- The bounty of food obscures the environmental foundations, limits and vulnerabilities
33
Why do we not appreciate where our food comes from?
The more food gets severed from time and space the less we appreciate where it comes from
-As a result most consumers have no idea about environmental impacts of food
34
What is political ecology?
It gives attention to the political-economic tendencies, power imbalances and ecological instabilities in how systems work
35
Characteristics of Previous Agricultural Systems
- In the past agricultural systems were limited by technology, storage and surpluses for it was mostly localized
- Soil loss, pests and droughts were mitigated fostering complementary biological interactions like intercropping
- Selection of seeds geared towards longterm improvement
- no long distance trade
36
What is closed-loop agriculture?
- Closed loop agriculture is the farming practice that recycles all of the nutrients and organic matter material back to the soil it grew in
- It preserves the nutrient and carbon levels within the soil and allows farming to be carried out on a sustainable basis
37
In the past, most farms were ______-
In the past, most farms were closed loop
| -Closed loop farming does exist today but not in huge numbers
38
What is modern farming rooted in?
Modern farming is rooted in capitalist imperatives of competition, growth and accumulation
39
What is an economy of scale?
Modern farming has the pressure to achieve economies of scale- to increase output per worker in order to reduce the relative cost of labour in production- greater efficiencies
40
Farmers make up __% of the workforce, but account for ______ of total world agro-exports by value in 2011
Farmers make up 2% of the workforce, but account for 10% of total world agro-exports by value in 2011
41
In 2012 almost __% of US farmland was controlled by only _% of landholders and more than __,___ farms were larger than 800 hectares
In 2012 almost 70% of US farmland was controlled by only 9% of landholders and more than 82,000 farms were larger than 800 hectares
42
What is standardization of land and animals?
-So that technology is productive the food production process must be standardized in terms of physical space and the nature of work
43
Implications of the standardization of land and animals
- large machines need large lands that hold the same crop-loss of biodiversity, increase of monoculture
- Genetic enhancement of seeds and animals
- Grain-Oilseed-Livestock Complex
44
What is the Grain-Oilseed-Livestock Complex?
10 crops account for 3/4 of humanity's plant based calories
- 5 livestock animals are responsible for the meat, eggs and cheese we consume
- Therefore, this complex is focused on the maize, wheat, soybeans, canola, pigs poultry and cattle
45
Consequences of the Grain-Oilseed-Livestock Complex
- Separation of crops has increased size and yield
- Animal farms account for more than a third of the consumption of the worlds grain harvest
- Huge surplus of meat- meatification of our edit
- Sign of affluence
46
What is the Through Flow Agriculture System? What does it include?
Through flow agriculture system has deep biological and physical instabilities with many ways to override or ignore these instabilities!!
Includes:
-reduced fallowing
-Reduced recycling of organic matter
-Reduced soil moisture retention and increased erosion
-Damages done to the living soil from increased tillage
-Increased weeds and insect activity
-Risk of crop extinction
-Enhanced seeds
-Increased animal health issues
-Increased food safety concerns
47
How does Bourdieu see power?
Similar to Foucault (power as beyond agency or structure) but Bourdieu sees power as culturally and symbolically created and delegitimized through an interplay of agency and structure
48
Bourdieu: How does the interplay of agency and structure happen?
The interplay happens mostly through habitus and is exhibited through cultural capital
49
What is cultural capital?
Bourdieu:
- Cultural capital is the collection of symbolic elements SA skills, tastes, posture, clothing material belongings, credentials etc that one acquires through being a part of a particular social class
- Those with a high level of cultural capital are most likely to constitute taste in a society
- Certain forms are valued over others
50
What are the three forms of cultural capital? Examples?
1. Embodied: ex: accent or dialect
2. Objectified- ex: luxury car
3. Institutionalized- refers to credentials or qualifications ex: degrees or titles- that signify cultural competence and authority
51
What is habitus?
- One of Bourdieu's most influential concepts
- Refers to the physical embodiment of cultural capital and is made up of deeply ingrained habits, skills and dispositions that we have due to life experiences
- Feel for certain social situations
52
What allows us to navigate social situations?
Bourdieu: Habitus is a feel for certain social situations, our habitus allows us to navigate these situations
53
How does habitus relate to food? How is it ingrained?
Habitus extends to our tastes for certain things related to food, clothing and art
- Aesthetic sensibilities are shaped by the culturally ingrained habitus
- Habitus is so ingrained that people often mistake it for preference rather than socially constructed development
54
What is symbolic violence?
- Those with lower cultural capital accept the lower levels of taste, unable to access higher levels of taste because of lack of education, economic opportunities etc
- Bourdieu calls this symbolic violence as it denies the dominated classes a means to defining their own worlds
55
How is symbolic violence culturally hegemonized?
- The choice of taste leads to social tensions and active class distance
- Children taught from early age what tastes look, sound and taste like- entrenched in class
- Aversion for taste of one's class results in visceral feelings of disgust, horror, sick
56
How is taste an example of cultural hegemony?
- Class fractions are determined by taste, taste creates social mechanisms which ensures social and cultural reproduction of the ruling class
- Tastes are difficult to change and inhibits social mobility
- Tastes of ruling class dominate and people adhere to these tastes for fear of being tasteless, vulgar, crude
57
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Bourdieu: How are our food choices and habits social markers of class and gender?
Two categories of analysis:
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Bourdieu divides the first section into two areas of analysis:
1. Difference between professional and working class eating prep habits-gender issue of domestic labour
2. How different classes see the effect of food for the body
58
How does Bourdieu define preparation and cooking in the lower class? Gender?
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-Lower class women- high labour food preparation
Demands time and energy
-Increases the notion that women are linked to the domestic sphere
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59
How does Bourdieu define preparation and cooking in the upper class? Gender?
- Women in the professional classes tend to not engage in high labour food preparation
- Devote themselves to childcare and transmission of cultural capital
- In search of light, low calorie, fresh produce
60
How does taste shape the class body?
- Taste, an embodied class culture helps to shape the class body
- Taste is an incorporated principle of classification which governs all forms of incorporation of the body
- It follows that the body is most indisputable materialization of class taste
61
What are examples of taste shaping the class body?
- Working class select food that are attentive to male strength and food products that are cheap and nutritious
- Pro classes choose tasty, healthy light foods
- Bourdieu's example of fish
62
How does Bourdieu's example of eating fish to show how class is represented?
- He asserts that lower classes would not eat fish- not filling, too healthy and delicate
- Eating fish requires motion that does not speak to virility
63
Bourdieu: how does different foods and eating styles have different gender associations? Examples?
-The practical philosophy of the male body (big, strong, enormous) asserts the division of food in sexes
-Reocgnized through:
Men drink more from larger glasses, will not eat tidbits
Men chose charcuterai and strong cheese while women will gravitate to the crudités (raw vegetables and salad)
64
Bourdieu: Meat is the food of _____ and _____
Meat is the food of virility and strength- It is the dish for men
65
Bourdieu: How does working class mealtime signify class and gender differences?
- The working class meal is characterized by plenty and above all freedom
- Elastic and abundant dishes are brought to the table
- Served family style
- Men are allowed two helpings, women eat leftovers
- Women serve multiple courses at once to save time
- Eating is seen as a primary need, a ceremony would be artificial and affected
66
Characteristics of the bourgeoisie meal
- Form over function
- Bourgeoisie meal is a social ceremony-affirmation of ethical tone
- Etiquette and ritual separates the higher class from animals
- Civilize eating
67
Form and rhythm in the bourgeoisie meal
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Form is a matter of rhythm and a strict sequence observed and all coexistence of dishes which the sequence separates fish, meat, cheese, dessert is excluded
Rhythm is a matter of:
-Expectations
-Pauses
-Restraints
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68
What does etiquette and ritual in the bourgeoisie meal include? 7 things
Etiquette and ritual are a commitment to style and include:
1. Manner of presenting and consuming food
2. Organization of the meal and setting of places
3. Presentation of the dishes (artlike)
4. Posture and gesture
5. Seating plan (discreetly hierarchical
6. Censorship of all bodily manifestations of act of eating (noise or haste)
7. Refinement of things consumed (quality)
69
What is the Michelin Ranking system?
- The most prestigious food ranking system in the world
- Upper level of food innovation and preparation
- Claims to rank only the food
- Can turn chef into celebrity chef
- Turn chef into paranoid anxious mess
70
What is the main criteria of the michelin ranking system?
- The quality of products
- mastery of flavors and cooking
- personality of the cuisine
- Value for money
- Consistency
71
What does 1, 2, 3 stars mean in the Michelin ranking system?
1 star- very good restaurant in its category
2 stars- Excellent cooking, worth a detour
3 stars- Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
72
Characteristics of the Michelin Chef
1. Combination of innovation and creativity
2. Substantive thoroughness when it comes to quality of ingredients
3. Knowing which cooking method will best harness the product's quality
4. Understanding and implementing new cooking techniques
5. Great attention to attention and forms
6. Eating entertainment
7. Innovation does not equal success
73
What are the networks of Michelin Chefs?
Most Michelin starred chefs have networks:
- Colleagues to tap for inspiration
- Farmers to obtain superior products
- Sense of trust and commitment from local purveyors
