Anthropology: Food and Culture

Examination of the cultivation, preparation, and consumption of food as rich symbolic processes through which humans interact with our natural and social environments.

Open to degree and PACE students

Since the birth of the discipline, anthropologists have been fascinated with the study of food given that it connects to every facet of human life. In this course, we will explore the cultures that produce and are reproduced by our current food system, touching upon local, national, and global dimensions. The cultivation, preparation, and consumption of food are rich symbolic processes through which we become acculturated and organize ourselves socially, economically, and politically. Together, we will learn more about what it takes to become an active food citizen as we consider where our food comes from and how the food we eat shapes our identity, our wellbeing, and our relationships with others. In this course, we will primarily use the lens and approach of cultural anthropology as we investigate contemporary economic, political, and cultural formations connected to food.

• Consider what cultural anthropology offers to the study of food and how the field stands to benefit from integrating the theories and insights of other disciplines. • Describe the deep and diverse connections between food and human cultures, and consider how these relationships have changed over time. • Analyze how systems of food production, consumption, and distribution are impacted by inequalities related to race/ethnicity, gender, and class. • Discuss the goals, directions, and critiques of social movements connected to food and how they influence both small-scale and industrial food systems.