Consuming Geographies: We Are Where We Eat

by David Bell, Gill Valentine

Overview

Food occupies a seemingly mundane position in all our lives, yet the ways we think about shopping, cooking and eating are actually intensely reflexive. The daily pick and mix of our eating habits is one way we experience spatial scale. From the relationship of our food intake to our body-shape, to the impact of our tastes upon global food-production regimes, we all read food consumption as a practice which impacts on our sense of place.
Drawing on anthropological, sociological and cultural readings of food consumption, as well as empirical material on shopping, cooking, food technology and the food media, this book demonstrates the importance of space and place in identity formation. We all think place (and) identity through food - we are where we eat!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415137676
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/29/1997
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Bell is a Lecturer in Cultural Studies at Staffordshire University and Gill Valentine is a Lecturer in Geography at the University of Sheffield.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Body 3. Home 4. Community 5. City 6. Region 7. Nation 8. Global

Editorial Reviews

Bell, a lecturer in cultural studies at Staffordshire University, and Valentine, a lecturer in geography at the University of Sheffield combine their expertise in intriguing ways, providing insights into city life, the home, and national and global cultures. At the same time, they develop useful perspectives on important social issues, including health, sexuality, and racism, and on how consumption constructs a political culture. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

'...an authoritative introduction to 'cultural' and 'politaical' issues when incorporated into undergraduate courses on nutritional anthropology.' - Journal of Biosocial Science.

'This is one of those rare and thoughtful books that help to blur the hackneyed distinctions between anthropology and sociology, science and critical theory....A jaunty humorous and incisive writing style facilitates the presentation of wide-ranging and subtle ideas. The bold use of quotations from vernacular informants talking about myriad aspects of consumption is revealing, entertaining and renders the text excellent for teaching purposes' Biosocial Science, Vol 30, 1998

From the Publisher