Food Studies and Sociology

Dear colleagues,

From the 1960s onwards, the interest of the social and human sciences in food developed almost simultaneously in history, sociology, ethnography and anthropology. This occurred in the French-, English-, then Spanish-, German- and Portuguese-speaking countries, but at different rates and, above all, involving different issues. During the 2000s, two paths of « thematisation » developed in parallel. The initial movement continued to develop, becoming increasingly anchored to the central questions of the various disciplines–connections considered a condition for successful interdisciplinary dialogue. In doing so, it has strengthened its institutionalisation, resulting in the creation of specialised training and research groups.
The second approach, "Food Studies", has been based on a multidisciplinary thematic focus, following the model already implemented by "Cultural Studies". Under its umbrella, views on food from almost the entire academic world of the social sciences are brought together. Connections have been made with "social movements" that see food as a place for understanding the challenges of changes in contemporary societies.

This issue seeks to explore these two paths in terms of the themes, methodologies and social issues they address. The aim will be to identify their respective contributions to the issues of:
- The medicalisation of food and control practices,
- Obesity and the normalisation of bodies,
- Food heritage, its study and development,
- Risk and food safety,
- The environmental consequences of food choices,
- The human-animal relationship and the different forms of vegetarianism,
- The consequences of modernisation and compressed modernisation on food practices
- The new configurations of the challenges of world hunger and the issues of food sovereignty
- Food transitions (nutrition, epidemiology and protein transition)
- Movements of consumption ebbs and flows inside and outside the household (eating out, home deliveries, new forms of housing).

The articles may be devoted to a particular theme, to the history of their construction in terms of problematics and recognition, to the stakes of these differentiated developments in the different linguistic universes and academic traditions. They will attempt to identify the epistemological and social issues at stake in these approaches to food by the social sciences.
They may take the form of a problematic essay, a research report (provided the theorisation is substantial), a literature review (those highlighting work produced in non English-speaking environments will be welcome), or a comparative analysis.

Bio:

Jean-Pierre Poulain, Professor of sociology and anthropology Jean-Pierre Poulain leads the chair of "Food Studies", created jointly by the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès (France) and Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). He conducts research in the sociology of food and health, focusing on the consequences of the transformation of food cultures and eating habits. Member of CERTOP-CNRS, he co-directs the LIA-CNRS "Food, Cultures and Health" (France-Malaysia).

Prof. Jean Pierre Poulain
Guest Editor

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