A Place-Based Perspective of Food in Society

This book provides an outstanding collection of interdisciplinary and international essays examining the food-place relationship. It explores such topics as the history of food and agriculture, the globalization and localization of food, and the role of place in defining not only the how, why, when, and with whom we eat, but the broader societal consequences of this ever-changing phenomena. With the interdisciplinary nature of this volume comes a multitude of perspectives on what those broader social consequences are, how they came to be, and what ought to be done to solve those issues we find most pressing, such as the global food crisis. While the specific angle each author takes on these issues may differ in some instances, each of them share an acute recognition of the interplay between food and place, and how that relationship becomes crucial for comprehending the problems we face and, in turn, what the proper solutions may be.

Kevin M. Fitzpatrick is Professor of Sociology and Jones Chair in Community at the University of Arkansas, USA. His work continues to focus on the role of place and its social structural consequences for health, food security, and the overall well-being, particularly among low-income, homeless, and at-risk children and youth.

Don Willis holds an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Arkansas, USA and is currently pursuing Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Missouri. Broadly, Don's research examines the role of social factors in the shaping of health-related phenomena with a primary focus on social capital and food security.

Introduction - Kevin Fitzpatrick and Don Willis
PART I: HISTORICAL CONTEXTS
1. The Origins And Propagation Of Agriculture: The Formation Of The Contemporary Diet - Laurence Roudart And Marcel Mazoyer
2. Agricultural Industrialization And The Presence Of The 'Local' In The Global Food World - Carlos J. Maya-Ambía
3. Lessons From The Past: A Historical Overview Of The Place-Food Relationship - Mark B. Tauger
PART II: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS
4. Ways Of Knowing The World: The Role Of Knowledge And Food Movements In The Food-Place Nexus - Jennifer Sumner
5. Modern Southern Food: An Examination Of The Intersection Of Place, Race, Class, And Gender In The Quest For Authenticity - Kaitland M. Byrd
6. Distinction, Disdain, And Gentrification: Hipsters, Food People, And The Ethnic Other In Brooklyn, New York - Kathleen Lebesco And Peter Naccarato
PART III: THE CONTEXT OF POWER AND INEQUALITY
7. The Political Economy Of Food And Agriculture In The United States And Russia - Susanne A. Wengle
8. Power And Place In Food Systems: From Global To Local - Savannah Larimore And Vaughn Schmutz
9. The Death Of Distance: Food Deserts Across The Global Divide - Meredith Gartin
PART IV: THE FUTURE OF FOOD
10. Place-Based Responses To The Global Food Economy - Andria D. Timmer
11. Troubling Place In Alternative Food Practices: Food Movements, Neoliberalism, And Place - Janna Lafferty
12. Toward Economies That Won't Leave: Utilizing A Community Food Systems Model To Develop Multisector Sustainable Economies In Rural Southeastern North Carolina - Leslie H. Hossfeld, E. Brooke Kelly, Amanda Smith, And Julia F. Waity