The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology

The Obesity Epidemicadds a much-needed voice of skepticism to the increasingly alarmist debate about weight and health. Gard and Wright show that "obesity" is above all a deeply problematic cultural and political concept, making clear that the social meaning of fat is determined largely by moral and ideological agendas -- agendas that are all the more powerful because they cloak themselves in the mantle of objective science and public health. Indeed, this book demonstrates how and why concepts such as "science" and "health" are themselves far more problematic than those who invoke them like to admit.THE OBESITY EPIDEMICis a superb contribution to the sociology of knowledge, and an essential text for anyone who wants to understand the current moral panic over fat.

Jan Wright is a Professor of Education and the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong, Australia.