ANT 3350 Food and Culture Lecturer: Prof. Tan Chee-Beng (陈志明) E-mail: cbtan@cuhk.edu.hk Tel: 26097673
Spring 2011
Course Description Everyday we eat, and eating is not just natural, it is very cultural. What, how, where and when, and with whom we eat, all convey meanings, and are relevant to social identification. Food is also very much associated with health and illness, as well as concepts of fitness and beauty. This course looks at human food and foodways and how they manifest in our thoughts, behavior, and social relations. We will learn about the origin and diffusion of food, and the formation of foodways. We will also examine the political economy of food, as well as food and foodways as cultural heritage. Topics: 1. Introduction: Anthropology and the study of food 2. Ecology, food and foodways 3. Plants, food and foodways 4. Industrialization, globalization and foodways 5. Chinese food and foodways 6. Food, beliefs and health 7. Religion and food 8. Food, status, and social relations 9. Food, Ethnicity and Identity 10. Food, politics and ethics 11. Interpreting foodways 12. Conclusion: What to eat Texts We will not be using any particular text, but a number of readings are from the following books. Anderson, E.N. 2005. Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture. NY and London: New York University Press. Counihan, Carole, and Penny Van Esterik, eds. 1997. Food and Culture: A Reader. NY and London: Routledge. Goodman, Alan H., Darna L. Dufour, and Gretel H. Pelto, eds. 2000. Nutritional Anthropology: Biocultural Perspectives on Food and Nutrition. Mountain View, Cal.: Mayfield Publishing Company. Watson, James L. and Melissa L. Caldwell, eds.. 2005. The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating: A Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Medium of instruction: English Course Requirements Participation: 10% Field trip and reflective note: 20% Mid-term test: 30% Term paper (10-15 pages): 30% Final quiz: 10%