Global foodscapes : oppression and resistance in the life of food / Alistair Fraser.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fraser, Alistair, 1982- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Food industry and trade--Social aspects.

Food industry and trade.

Food supply--Social aspects.

Food supply.

Food supply--Economic aspects.

Physical Description:

xii, 172 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017.

Summary:

What we eat - as well as how it is produced, processed, moved, sold, and used by our bodies - seems to matter like never before. Global Foodscapes takes on this topicality and asks readers to think about how we are all involved in the making of an odd and, in many ways, troubling and contested food economy. It explores how food is conceived, traded, grown, reared, processed, sold, and consumed; investigates what goes wrong along the way; and assesses what diverse people around the world are doing to fix these faults. The text uses a carefully-crafted framework that explores the interaction of five forms of oppression and five means of resistance as they are worked out over five stages in the food economy. It draws on case studies from around the world that illuminate key issues about food in today's world; examines how oppression affects diverse people caught up in the food economy, and highlights how individuals, groups, and institutions such as governments, but also firms, are trying to improve how we interact with the food system. Global Foodscapes is a highly accessible and useful text for undergraduate students interested in the global food economy. The global range of case studies, examples, and reference points, as well as its original framework, allows the text to speak to diverse audiences and generate debate about whether anything - and if so, what - needs to be done about the food system we depend upon so heavily. Additional materials such as suggested readings and discussion points help students consider the issues at hand and conduct initial and more detailed research on today's food economy. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The world upstream of the farm 20

1.1 Introduction 20

1.2 Upstream of the farm and the making of 'northern agriculture' 21

1.3 Capitalist firms and agriculture 30

1.4 Case study: the case of Monsanto 39

1.5 In what sense oppressive? 41

1.6 Resistance: imagining alternatives 44

What else matters here? 47

You decide 47

Suggested reading 48

2 Agricultural foodscapes 52

2.1 Introduction 52

2.2 The foodscapes of northern agriculture 53

2.3 Amin's nightmare 63

2.4 Case study: soy in Brazil and Paraguay 74

2.5 In what sense oppressive? 76

2.6 Resistance: occupying to craft alternative agricultures 77

What else matters here? 83

You decide 83

Suggested reading 83

3 Food processing 90

3.1 Introduction 90

3.2 The world of food processing 91

3.3 Case study: soft drinks and snacks 100

3.4 In what sense oppressive? 104

3.5 Resistance: re-thinking processed food 107

What else matters here? 110

You decide 110

Suggested reading 111

4 The foodscapes of selling of food 116

4.1 Introduction 116

4.2 The spaces and places of selling food 117

4.3 Case study: food and gentrification 131

4.4 In what sense oppressive? 133

4.5 Resistance: fast-food workers on strike 135

What else matters here? 137

You decide 137

Suggested reading 137

5 Food consumption 142

5.1 Introduction 142

5.2 The 'open metabolic encounter' 143

5.3 Case study: food politics and economics in the Pacific Islands 151

5.4 In what sense oppressive? 153

5.5 Resistance: boycott 155

What else matters here? 158

You decide 158

Suggested reading 158.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138192478

1138192473

9781138192485

1138192481

OCLC:

950901615