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FOOD: A CULTURAL AND SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY
Sciences Po. Paris Fall 2013
Professor:
Teaching Assistant:
Course time:
Course location:
Salle Albert Sorel (27, rue Saint-Guillaume). Office hours:
Moodle system:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
When talking about the environment, most forget that food is the primary mediation between human beings and their societies, and nature. In the social sciences, food, as a staple and as a cultural product, as well as food production and consumption, are among the most interdisciplinary theme that exist. Using a cultural and social geography perspective, which claims ties to sociology, anthropology, economy and politics, this course aims at examining the different facets and issues of the food mediation. The nature of this geographic perspective will first be discussed. We will then proceed to look at different subjects and case studies that have been at the hearth of scientific inquiries in the Anglo-American and French geographies. Mandatory readings in English will be assigned in advance for each of the subject studies, among them: food and social distinction, the geopolitics of food, food and religion, ethnic food, the fair trade connection, the question of certification, the French “terroir” concept. OBJECTIVES
1. To provide the students with a broad understanding of the scope, core concepts and some current debates and issues around the interdisciplinary social science themes of « food » and « food consumption ». 2. To familiarize the students with the geographic analysis and perspectives. COURSE FORMAT
The course format consists of 12 sessions of 2 hours (11 lectures + final exam) during the regularly scheduled meeting time for this class (Wednesday, 5 to 7 pm). Every session is built around a subject and in connection with a mandatory reading that should be read before going to class. Other references are meant to complement the lectures and to provide a setting for more in-depth engagement with the major themes of the course. COURSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: MOODLE
We will be using the Moodle course management system as a medium for online discussions, the posting of relevant course materials, and related course information ). All mandatory readings are already accessible, additional readings will be provided along the way. GRADE BREAKDOWNS AND EXAM SCHEDULE
Exams (60%)
The course will have one mid-term exam and a final exam. Each exam will consist of a combination of article commentary, and short-answer questions. The final exam, held during the regular final exam period, will be cumulative. Term-Paper (35%)
Each student will therefore be expected to conduct an original piece of research for this course, which will consist of a term-paper of 6-8 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font size, 2.54 cm margins, not counting any other accompanying materials including figures, photographs, and maps. Students may work in team of three or four on the term-paper. The purpose of the assignment is to observe, describe and interpret a “Foodscape” in Paris. Step-by-step instructions will be provided in due time (starting October 2nd). COURSE SCHEDULE (TOPICS AND READINGS)
Below is the course schedule of readings and assignments for the entire semester. We will do our best to stick to this schedule, although we do reserve the right to make changes if necessary. As indicated above, all mandatory readings can be found on Moddle; students will be informed if additional readings are added. SEPTEMBER
4th Presentation of the course and Introduction to “Geography of foods”
Mandatory readings:
 “World on a Platter? Consuming Geographies and the Place of Food in Society”, by Rebecca
KENNISON, Body and Society, 7 (121), 2001, p. 121-125.  “Not all sweetness and light: new cultural geographies of food”, by Susanne FREIDBERG,
Social and Cultural Geography, 4 (1), 2003, p. 3-6.  “Your are what you grow”, by Michael POLLAN, New York Times, April 22nd, 2007, 4p.
11th Geography and its main concepts: space and place; landscape; scenes
Mandatory reading:
 “Cultural geography. Different encounters, encountering difference”, by Robyn Longhurst,
Doc. Anàl. Geogr (50), 2007, p. 105-120. Additional reading:
 A Theory of Scenes, by Daniel SILVER, Terry N. CLARK and Lawrence ROTHFIELD,
18th FOODSCAPE AND FOODSCAPE IN PARIS
 This course will introduce the students to the concept of foodscape and their application. It will also provide introduction to the term paper, by which students will be invited to study a “foodscape” somewhere in Paris. Mandatory readings:
 “Images of foodscapes: Introduction to foodscape studies and their application in the study
of healthy eating out-of-home environments”, by Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Perspectives in
Public Health (131) 5 l, 2011, p. 209-216
 “Foodscapes in Paris -Methodologies to capture practiced foodscapes”, by Mia Brandhøj,
Camilla Berg Christensen and Rikke Nygaard, Research Group for Meal Science & Public Health Nutrition, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, 2011, 16 p. 25th GEOGRAPHY OF FOOD: THE LOCAL AND THE GLOBAL
 Instructions on the term paper will be given; teams will be formed and places will be Mandatory readings:
 “Local Food: A Social Movement?”, by Amory Starr, Cultural Studies <=> Critical
Methodologies, (10), 2010, p. 479-490.  “Geography of food: Mixing”, by Ian COOK, Progress in Human Geography, 32 (8), 2008, p.
2nd FOOD AND POWER
Mandatory readings:
 “Food as Power”, by Ezekiel FLANNERY and Diana MINCYTE, Cultural Studies <=> Critical
Methodologies, (10), 2010, p. 423-427.  “Power at the Table: Food Fights and Happy Meals”, by Richard WILK, Cultural Studies
<=> Critical Methodologies, (10), 2010, p. 428-436.
9th FOOD AND GENDER
Mandatory readings:
 “Coming out of the Kitchen: texts, contexts and debate”, by Janet FLOYD, Cultural
Geographies, 11 (61), 2004, p. 61-73.  “Between Mothers and Markets: Constructing family identity through homemade food”, by
Risto MOISIO, Eric J. ARNOULD and Linda L. PRICE, Journal of Consumer Culture, (4), 2004, p. 361-383. Additional readings:
 Chocolate and Bread: Gendering Sacred and Profane Food in Contemporary Cultural
Representations”, by Jane STEEL, Theology and Sexuality, 14 (3), 2008, p. 321-334.
 “The Gender of Geographical Indications: Women, Place, and the Marketing of Identities”,
by Fabio PARASECOLI, Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, (10), 2010, p. 467-478. 16th FOOD AND CULTURE
Mandatory readings:
 "Views about food prejudice and stereotypes”, by Igor de GARINE, Social Science
Information, (40), 2001, p. 487-507.  “Commodified Identities: The Myth of Italian Food in the United States”, by David
GIRARDELLI, Journal of Communication Inquiry, 10 (28), 2004, p. 307-324. Additional readings:
 “‘I don't eat meat’: Discourse on food among transnational Hindus”, by Jennifer B.
SAUNDERS, Contributions to Indian Sociology, (41), 2007, p. 203-223.  “Eating into multiculturalism: hospice staff and service users talk food, ‘race’, ethnicity,
culture and identity”, by Yasmin GUNARATNAM, Critical Social Policy, (21), 2001, p. 287-
310.
23rd MID-TERM / FOLLOW-UP ON THE TERM PAPER
30th NO CLASS: VACANCES ETUDIANTS
NOVEMBER
6th LOCAL AND GLOBAL
Mandatory readings:
 Local Food: A Social Movement?”, by Amory STARR, Cultural Studies <=> Critical
Methodologies, (10), 2010, p. 479-490.  “Geographies of food: agro-food geographies making reconnections”, by Michael WINTER,
Progress in Human Geography, 27 (3), 2003, p. 505-513. Additional readings:
 “The place of food: mapping out the ‘local’ in local food systems”, by Robert FEAGAN,
Progress in Human Geography, (31), 2007, p. 23-42.  “Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food”, by Julie
GUTHMAN, Cultural Geographies (15), 2008, p. 431-447. 13th THE IDEA OF TERROIR AND PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
Mandatory readings:

 “Product, Process and Place: An Examination of Food Marketing and Labelling Schemes in
Europe and North America”, by Brian ILBERY, Carol MORRIS, Henry BULLER, Damian
MAYE and Moya KNEAFSEY, European Urban and Regional Studies, (12), 2005, p. 116-132.
 “Geographies of Brands and Branding”, by Andy PIKE, Progress in Human Geography, 33
20th GEOGRAPHY OF WINE IN FRANCE
Mandatory readings: to be announced
27th Semester Exam (in class, 2 hours)
OTHER READINGS IN GEOGRAPHY OF FOODS
ATKINS, Peter and Ian BOWLER. Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography. London: BELL, David and Gill VALENTINE. Consuming Geographies: We Are Where We Eat. BILDTGÅRD, Torbjörn. “Trust in food in modern and late-modern societies”Social Science Information, (47), 2008, p. 99-126. CARNEY, Judith. “The African origins of Carolina rice culture”, Cultural Geographies (7), COOK, Ian. “Geographies of food: mixing”, Progress in Human Geography (32), 2008, p. DEBRES, Karen. "Burgers for Britain: A Cultural Geography of McDonald's UK", Journal of Cultural Geography (22), 2005, p.115-139. GYIMÓTHY, Szilvia and Reidar Johan MYKLETUN. “Scary food: Commodifying culinary heritage as meal adventures in tourism”, Journal of Vacation Marketing, (15), 2009, p. 259-273. HARRISON, Blake. “Shopping to save: green consumerism and the struggle for northern Maine”, Cultural Geographies, (13), 2006, p. 395-419. ILBERY, Brian, MORRIS, Carol, BULLER, Henry, MAYE Damian and Moya KNEAFSEY. “Product, Process and Place: An Examination of Food Marketing and Labelling Schemes in Europe and North America”, European Urban and Regional Studies, (12), 2005, p. 116-132. MARSDEN, Terry, Andrew FLYNN and Michelle HARRISON. Consuming Interests: The Social Provision of Foods. London: UCL Press, 2000. PARROTT, Nicholas, WILSON Natasha and Jonathan MURDOCH. “Spatializing quality: regional protection and the alternative geography of food”, European Urban and Regional Studies, (9) 3, 2002, p. 241-261. SHORTRIDGE, Barbara G. and James R. SHORTRIDGE (eds). The Taste of American Places. Lanham (Md): Rowman & Littlefield, 1998. SLATER, Candace. “Marketing the ‘rain forest’: Raw Vanilla fragrance and the ongoing transformation of the jungle, Cultural Geographies, (11), 2004, p. 165-180. SMIL, Vaclav. Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge WILLGING, Jennifer. “Of GMOs, McDomination and Foreign Fat: Contemporary Franco- American Food Fights”, French Cultural Studies, (19), 2008, p. 199-226. READINGS IN CULTURAL AND SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY
ANDERSON, Jon. Understanding Cultural Geography: Places and Traces. Abingdon, ANDERSON, Kate, DOMOSH, Mona, PILE, Steve and Nigel THRIFT (eds). Handbook of Cultural Geography, London: Sage, 2003. ATKINSON, David, Jackson, Peter, SIBLEY, D. and N. WASHBOURNE (eds). Cultural Geography: A Critical Dictionary of Key Concepts, London: I.B. Tauris, 2005. BARNETT, Clive. “Cultural twists and turns”, Environment and Planning D: Society and BARRELL, John. The Idea of Landscape and the Sense of Place 1730-1840: An Approach to the Poetry of John Clare, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1972. BINGLEY, Amy. “In here and out there: sensations between self and landscape”, Social and Cultural Geography (4), 2003, p. 329-345. BLUNT, Alison. “Geography and the humanities tradition”, in HOLLOWAY, S. L., RICE, S. P. and VALENTINE, G. (eds), Key Concepts in Geography, London, Sage, 2003, p. 73-91. COOK, Ian, CROUCH, David, NAYLOR, Simon and James RYAN (eds). Cultural Turns/ Geographical Turns, Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2000. CRANG, Mickael. Cultural Geography, London: Routledge, 1998. DEL CASINO Jr., V.J. Social Geography: A Critical Introduction, Chichester: Wiley- DUNCAN, James, JOHNSON, Nuala C. and SCHEIN, Richard. H. (eds). A Companion to Cultural Geography, Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. GOUDIE, Andrew. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment. Cambridge (Ma): MIT GREGORY, Derek. Geographical Imaginations. Cambridge (Ma): Blackwell, 1994. GREGORY, Derek and John URRY (eds). Social Relations and Spatial Structures. GREGSON, Nicky. “Reclaiming ‘the social’ in social and cultural geography”, in ANDERSON, K., DOMOSH, M., PILE, S. and Nigel THRIFT (eds) Handbook of Cultural Geography, London: Sage, 2003, p. 43-57. HOLLOWAY, Lewis and Phil HUBBARD, People and Place: The Extraordinary Geographies of Everyday Life, Harlow: Pearson Education, 2001. HUBBARD, Phil., KITCHEN, Rob and Gill VALENTINE (eds). Key Thinkers on Space and JACKSON, Peter and Susan J. SMITH. Exploring Social Geography, Boston & London: MITCHELL, Don. Cultural Geography: A Critical Introduction, Malden (Ma): Blackwell, NORTON, William. Cultural Geography: Themes, Concepts, Analyses, Don Mills (Ont): SHURMER-SMITH, Pamela (ed.). Doing Cultural Geography, London: SAGE Publications, SMITH, Susan J. and al. (eds). The Sage Handbook of Social Geographies, London: Sage, VALENTINE, Gill. Social Geographies: Space and Society, New York: Prentice Hall, 2001. WINCHESTER, Hilary P.M., Kong Lily and Kevin C. Dunn. “The Role of Landscapes”, in Landscapes: Ways of Imagining the World, Harlow (UK): Pearson, 2003, Chapter 8, p. 174-179.

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