40 research outputs found
Theorizing Alternative Agriculture and Food Movements: The Obstacle of Dichotomous Thinking
How can we understand and move beyond a persistent tendency to think, write
and organize about food and agriculture as if it were possible to separate a
theoristâs views on gender and race from their views on farm animals?
Considerable scholarship already addresses this question. This paper suggests
that philosophy can contribute to the discussion by focusing a particular kind
of attention on patterns of thinking. In particular, dichotomous thinking has
traditionally provided grounds for separating production from consumption,
and continues to present an obstacle to efforts at connecting âfarm issuesâ to
âfork issues.â Three characteristics of dichotomous thinking present
particular obstacles to scholarship that would deeply integrate food studies
with agriculture studies. (1) Dichotomies tend to set up not just a contrast but
an antagonism between their two poles, such that to be this means to be not
that. (2) Dichotomous thinking tends to erase nuance, to eliminate anything
between the two dichotomous options, and to purify or âclean upâ the
ambiguous case or extraneous material, by shoehorning it into one option or
the other; and (3) Particular groups of dichotomies operate together, such that
they mutually reinforce each other to create a way of understanding the world
that is more plausible because of its cohesiveness. These snarls of mutuallysupportive
dichotomies that are nevertheless purist and puritanical in their
impact, present a real (i.e. ideological, theoretical, conceptual) challenge to
creating scholarly and activist movements that integrate the best of agrarian
thinking and the best of critical food studies scholarship attentive to race,
class and gender oppression.
Keywords
Dichotomy
Production
Consumption
Alternative agriculture
Agrarianism
Local foo
Morally Respectful Listening and its Epistemic Consequences
What does it mean to listen to someone respectfully, that is, insofar as they are due recognition respect? This paper addresses that question and gives the following answer: it is to listen in such a way that you are open to being surprised. A specific interpretation of this openness to surprise is then defended
A História da Alimentação: balizas historiogråficas
Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da HistĂłria da Alimentação, nĂŁo como um novo ramo epistemolĂłgico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de prĂĄticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicaçÔes, associaçÔes, encontros acadĂȘmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condiçÔes em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biolĂłgica, a econĂŽmica, a social, a cultural e a filosĂłfica!, assim como da identificação das contribuiçÔes mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histĂłrica, foi ela organizada segundo critĂ©rios morfolĂłgicos. A seguir, alguns tĂłpicos importantes mereceram tratamento Ă parte: a fome, o alimento e o domĂnio religioso, as descobertas europĂ©ias e a difusĂŁo mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rĂĄpido balanço crĂtico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema
The CFS Choux Questionnaire: Lisa Heldke, food philosopher
A riff on the well-riffed Proust Questionnaire, the Canadian Food Studies Choux Questionnaire is meant to elicit a tasty and perhaps surprising experience, framed within a seemingly humble exterior. (And yes, some questions have a bit more craquelin than others.) Straightforward on their own, the queries combined start to form a celebratory pyramid of extravagance. How that composite croquembouche is assembled and taken apart, however, is up to the respondents and readers to determine. Respondents are invited to answer as many questions as they choose. The final question posedâWhat question would you add to this questionnaire?âprompts each respondent to incorporate their own inquisitive biome into the mix, feeding a forever renewed starter culture for future participants.
Our inaugural Choux Questionnaire respondent is Lisa Heldke, food philosopher and professor at Gustavus Adolphus College