Awards
- Nominated for Book Award in Food Issues and Advocacy, James Beard Foundation 2023
- Winner of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards - Food - Food Heritage - USA.
Overview
The Italian political right is outraged by halal tortellini and a pork-free lasagna served at the Vatican. In India, Hindu fundamentalists organize attacks on Muslims who sell beef. European anti-immigrant politicians denounce couscous and kebabs. In an era of nationalist and exclusionary movements, food has become a potent symbol of identity. Why has eating become so politically charged-and can the emotions surrounding food be redirected in a healthier direction? Fabio Parasecoli identifies and defines the phenomenon of ""gastronativism,"" the ideological use of food to advance ideas about who belongs to a community and who does not. As globalization and neoliberalism have transformed food systems, people have responded by seeking to return to their roots. Many have embraced local ingredients and notions of cultural heritage, but this impulse can play into the hands of nationalist and xenophobic political projects. Such movements draw on the strong emotions connected with eating to stoke resentment and contempt for other people and cultures. Parasecoli emphasizes that gastronativism is a worldwide phenomenon, even as it often purports to oppose local aspects and consequences of globalization. He also explores how to channel pride in culinary traditions toward resisting transnational corporations, uplifting marginalized and oppressed groups, and assisting people left behind by globalization. Featuring a wide array of examples from all over the world, Gastronativism is a timely, incisive, and lively analysis of how and why food has become a powerful political tool.
Full Product Details
Author: Fabio Parasecoli (Editor in Chief, The Inquisitive Eater)
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Imprint: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 9780231202077
ISBN 10: 0231202075
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 05 July 2022
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Fabio Parasecoli draws on his deep international experience in this thoughtful analysis of how food gets ensnared in political ideology to separate us from them. Gastronativism argues convincingly that food systems are indeed global, and the sooner we get those systems to bring people together, the better. -- Marion Nestle, author of <i>Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health</i>
Author Information
Fabio Parasecoli is professor of food studies in the Nutrition and Food Studies Department at New York University. He is the author of Food (2019), coauthor of Feasting Our Eyes: Food Films and Cultural Identity in the United States (Columbia, 2016), and coeditor of Global Brooklyn: Designing Food Experiences in World Cities (2021), among other books.
