The Sociology of Food - by Jean-Pierre Poulain (Paperback)

About the Book

Translation of: Sociologies de l'alimentation.

Book Synopsis

A classic text about the social study of food, this is the first English language edition of Jean-Pierre Poulain's seminal work. Tracing the history of food scholarship, The Sociology of Food provides an overview of sociological theory and its relevance to the field of food.

Divided into two parts, Poulain begins by exploring the continuities and changes in the modern diet. From the effect of globalization on food production and supply, to evolving cultural responses to food - including cooking and eating practices, the management of consumer anxieties, and concerns over obesity and the medicalization of food - the first part examines how changing food practices have shaped and are shaped by wider social trends. The second part provides an overview of the emergence of food as an academic focus for sociologists and anthropologists. Revealing the obstacles that lay in the way of this new field of study, Poulain shows how the discipline was first established and explains its development over the last forty years.

Destined to become a key text for students and scholars, The Sociology of Food makes a major contribution to food studies and sociology. This edition features a brand new chapter focusing on the development of food studies in the English-speaking world and a preface, specifically written for the edition.

Review Quotes

"This timely translation adds an important Continental perspective to the English-language food canon, while also reaching forward to the cross-disciplinarity that characterizes contemporary Food Studies. Poulain's framing of systemic complexities and multiple sociologies reminds us of the critical importance of thinking-and-doing both through and with food-a holistic and necessary approach." --David Szanto, University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy

"Gives a timely and insightful narrative to readers interested in finding out more about this developing sphere of research." --LSE Review of Books

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Poulain is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toulouse II Jean Jaurès, France, and Chair of Food Studies: Food, Cultures and Health at Taylor's-Toulouse University Centre, Malaysia. He is the author of a number of books on the sociology of food and tourism. His work has been translated into Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.