Universität Wien
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240198 SE Anthropology of Food and Consumption (P4) (2012S)

Approaches to the social phenomenon under globalised conditions

Continuous assessment of course work

Anwesenheitspflicht in der ersten Einheit!

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 40 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 21.03. 09:00 - 14:00 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Wednesday 06.06. 09:00 - 14:00 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Friday 08.06. 09:00 - 14:00 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
  • Wednesday 13.06. 09:00 - 14:00 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 21.06. 09:00 - 14:00 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course takes into account the differentiated approaches to food and consumption in anthropological research and social sciences. The social phenomena of recent '(food) consumption' in the 'West' as well as the 'South' are discussed in their historical context, as 'markers of difference' inside societies, as socio-cultural expressions of societal relations as well as power relations and in the context of social sciences its significance for processes of globalisation and hybridisation.
Considering 'consumption' both as basic need and as possibility to express preferences and structures of power, the course highlights the social, cultural and practical importance of (food) consumption for the formation of societies worldwide.

Assessment and permitted materials

Small field work, presentation, compilation of a term paper

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Teaching objectives:
The course introduces anthropological theories and approaches referring to 'consumption' as a social phenomenon. The complexity of the concept is made comprehensible through practical examples and anthropological case studies about food and consumption. Methodologically the students are urged to study important theoretical texts and discuss them in the context of selected regional case studies. Further they experience applying anthropological theories about food and consumption to societal practice. The elusive phenomenon 'consumption' thus becomes more comprehensible.
Learning targets:
The students learn to
· understand anthropological theory and practice in the context of (food) consumption,
· recognize food consumption both as basic need and status marker within societies,
· to understand different, 'cultural-based' influences on living and consuming conditions,
· to comprehend the impact of 'globalisation' through consumption patterns,
· students are trained to discuss and analyse case studies on the basis of the existing theoretical anthropological approaches.

Examination topics

The methodology of the course includes:
· lectures (including e.g. presentation of fieldwork about consumption in Latin America)
· films and videos
· discussions of anthropological literature, texts & film analysis
· working groups with special assignments on different topics
· small fieldwork about consumption (done by students incl. documentation and analysis) supported by blended learning

Reading list

Appadurai Arjun. 1986. The social life of things. Commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
Belasco Warren. (Ed.) Food, Culture and Society. Journal of the Association for the Study of Food and Society. Berg Publications. Counihan Carole M. (Ed.). 1999. The Anthropology of Food and Body. Gender, Meaning, and Power. London & New York: Routledge.
Counihan Carole & van Esterik Penny. (Eds.). 2008. Food and Culture. A Reader. 2nd edition. London & New York: Routledge.
Dolphijn, Rick. 2004. Foodscapes: Towards a Deleuzian Ethics of Consumption. Delft: Eburon Publishers.
Howes, David. 1996. Cross-Cultural Consumption. Global Market, Local Realities. London/New York, Routledge
MacBeth, Helen [Ed.
1997. Food preferences and taste: continuity and change (The anthropology of food and nutrition; 2). Providence, RI [u.a.]: Berghahn Books.
Macbeth, Helen and Jeremy MacClancy [Eds.] 2004. Researching food habits: methods and problems (The anthropology of food and nutrition; 5 ). New York, NY [u.a.]: Berghahn Books.
Miller, Daniel (Ed.) 2002. Consumption: critical concepts in the social sciences. Volumes 1-4. London: Routledge.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:40