Food Cults - (Rowman & Littlefield Studies in Food and Gastronomy) by Kima Cargill (Hardcover)

About the Book

Understanding how food fads and diets can develop a fervent following that rise to the level of a cult is a new area of study and often overlooked. Here, Kima Cargill and other experts shed fresh light on the subject, revealing how and why such cults may develop among certain communities.

Book Synopsis

Understanding how food fads and diets can develop a fervent following that rise to the level of a cult is a new area of study and often overlooked. Here, Kima Cargill and other experts shed fresh light on the subject, revealing how and why such cults may develop among certain communities.

Review Quotes

Food and cults? What an enticing and somewhat sensational topic! Editor Kima Cargill has assembled a rich and compelling collection of essays exploring the complex and sometimes surprising connections between devoted spiritual and secular collectivities and foods of many classes and types. The volume is loaded with stimulating case studies and thought provoking theoretical analyses. A very worthy addition to institutional library and personal holdings alike.

Researchers seeking a grounded counterpoint to online forums and social media would deeply benefit from this carefully chosen collection of essays. . . Folklorists interested in small-group dynamics, the evolution of religion, secular ritual, and identity politics would find this compilation fascinating. Omnivores, cookbook aficionados, culinary historians, and librarians interested in diversifying their food literature would benefit from this set of social criticism. Mental health practitioners working with extreme eaters or loved ones who are concerned about extreme eating behaviors could find this a helpful addition to their library. While not an overt critique of individual cults' ideologies, Food Cults introduces a healthy dose of skepticism and critical review to the complicated conversation about healthy bodies and healthy communities.

The authors of the 15 chapters in this fascinating exploration into the typical 'why we eat what we eat' conversation employ a historical perspective to explore dining experiences and the development of specific food practices in varying communities. Food fads and diets generate powerful followings of individuals, and these essays explore why and how food cults develop while also addressing food's appeal from health, social, and ritualistic standpoints. In her opening chapter, editor Cargill addresses the social and psychological pull that food cults provide for members of a community, as well as how food cults can contribute to religion, gender issues, and cultural trends. Communities hold different ideologies towards food, and this book explores the social dynamics surrounding the ways individuals embrace food and nourishment, and why their behaviors are justified.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.

This book is for anyone who has ever been curious about why we are attracted to food fads and food dogma and how they shape our identities, food preferences, and nutritional beliefs, as well as our consumer economy. From superfoods and paleo to gluten-free, this fascinating multi-authored volume on dietary ideologies--anchored in theory--explores these topics via case studies on specific historical and contemporary food cults and communities.

This skillfully edited volume examines a central question in food studies--why we eat what we eat--through the lens of food cults, communities that develop around food ideologies or beliefs. Editor Kima Cargill insightfully recognizes that the human needs for belonging, affirmation, and meaningfulness are intimately connected to the need for nourishment, and she brings together here interdisciplinary and international perspectives to shed light on the social dynamics of groups addressing those needs.

About the Author

Kima Cargill, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Washington, Tacoma. She is the author of The Psychology of Overeating: Food and the Culture of Consumerism, and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters.