Thinking Critically About Food: Change in Focus PDF

Thinking Critically About Food: How does a theoretical paradigm change our focus? Discussion to accompany Johnston, et al, 2017, Chapter 2, You Are What You Eat: Culture, Norms, and Values Henslin, “Eating Your Friends is the Hardest” (#24 in Henslin) Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacir...

Thinking Critically About Food: How does a theoretical paradigm change our focus? Discussion to accompany Johnston, et al, 2017, Chapter 2, You Are What You Eat: Culture, Norms, and Values Henslin, “Eating Your Friends is the Hardest” (#24 in Henslin) Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (#8 in Henslin) Clark, “Sympathy in Everyday Life” (#11in Henslin) But First-- - Any questions remaining from last week’s discussion? - A word about assignments - A word about in-class coverage of material  Key Concepts  Commodity Fetishism (from Marx)(see pp 35-36)  Totem (from Durkheim) (pp 37-38)  Foodwork as gendered (from feminist theory) (p 39)  Culture (Norms and Values around food)(pp 41 & 43)  Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism (p 43) Central Question of this chapter: What can food tell us about our culture?  Reminder: What is a theoretical paradigm?  In sociology, a theoretical paradigm is a perspective; a set of ideas about how society works and how social systems work.  And it is a set of (loose) assumptions about how we can explain social order and social change.  Asks: How does the world work?  Guides: The kinds of questions we ask and the kinds of methods we use. Paradigms:  Conflict Theory  Functionalism (also referred to as structural functionalism)  Symbolic Interactionism (put a pin in this for now) Also  Feminist Theory (displays aspects of both conflict theory and symbolic interactionism)  Critical Race Theory (displays aspects of both conflict theory and symbolic interactionism) (put a pin in this for now)  Functionalism  General Assumptions: - Societies are generally smooth-running systems - Sociologists can uncover Universal patterns cross-culturally and over time; - Societies display value consensus; - Social order is seen as evidence of that consensus (everybody benefits from social arrangements and institutions) - In classical theory, functionalist theorists modeled the idea of sociology on science and looked for Universal Truths and “objective” scientific methods  Conflict Theory  General Assumptions and Goals: - Societies display conflict and competition between groups; - Recognizes historical contingency and context; - Assumes diversity among groups (diverse interests; diverse values - Interested in asking who decides, who benefits, and who wins (who has power) - In classical theory, conflict theorists used historical comparative methods to help explain social change  Feminist Theory  General Emphasis: - Recognizes conflict and competition between groups - Emphasizes historical contingency and context - Emphasizes the institution of patriarchy and the historical development of male privilege - In classical theory, feminist theorists pointed out the contradictions in Enlightenment thinking and advocated for women’s inclusion in education and politics - In contemporary theory, feminism emphasizes intersectionality and the diversity of women’s values and interests Marxist Theory one tradition within Conflict Theory Who was Karl Marx? - philosopher - historian - journalist - political economist - sociologist (before sociology) Born 1818, Trier, Prussia (now Germany) - critical of German philosophy / Hegel - critical of liberal political economy / Adam Smith; David Ricardo - collaborated with Frederick Engels Marx’s theory of capitalism: What does capitalism have to do with consumer culture?  Capitalism as an economic system  Capitalism as a structure of class conflict and contradiction  What is a commodity?  What is the difference between use value and exchange value?  What is commodity fetishism? (p. 35) Durkheimian Theory one tradition within Functionalist Theory Who was Emile Durkheim? - studied philosophy - studied psychology - educator - “father” of academic sociology - Born 1858, Lorraine, France - A positivist (believer in the scientific study of society) Durkheim’s theory of society: What does culture have to do with it?  Centrally concerned with how cohesion and solidarity are maintained in society  What function does material and symbolic  culture serve in maintaining social order?  Key Concepts: What is a totem? - Mechanical Solidarity an animal, object, force, or - Organic Solidarity phenomenon used as an - Rituals emblem to represent aspects of a group’s shared identity. - Sacred objects They are “sacred” in the sense - Collective conscience of being revered collectively. - Social Integration Feminist Theory - emphasis on a grounded approach to understanding society Who was Harriet Martineau? - Born 1802, Norwich, England - Earned a living for her family with wildly popular fiction on political economy - Wrote first methods textbook: How to Observe Morals & Manners - Studied American life & institutions: Society in America - Early Abolitionist and Feminist Martineau’s “grounded theory”: How do everyday people live?  Emphasized Cultural Relativism in studying society - Sympathetic Observation  What are the contradictions distinguishing what society SAYS it stands for and how society actually treats its people. - Morals - Manners - Anomalies Example: Slavery Take a Guess: Which of these three theoretical perspectives most closely aligns with Professor Marsh’s own lens on society? Food Rules: Culture, Norms, and Deviance  Reminder: Culture = the values, beliefs, norms, traditions upheld in a society Ethnocentrism = using your own cultural ideas and standards to evaluate other culture. Cultural Relativism = the idea that we should try to understand an individual’s beliefs, behavior, feelings, and worldview in relation to his or her own culture.  What are some examples of variations in food cultures? Why is Food so interesting? What rituals around food does your family observe? Does a holiday meal bring your family together? Are there traditions that you observe year after year? Who cooks the turkey? Who prepares the rest of the food? Who carves the turkey? Who cleans up after the meal?  Final Thoughts?  Any questions?  Anything you want to talk about that we haven’t yet?