Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography (Hodder Arnold Publication) [Paperback]

Peter Atkins (Author), Ian Bowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0340720042 | ISBN-13: 978-0340720042

Food is now a massive international undertaking, and this new textbook provides a broad introduction, encompassing economics, cultural studies, and geography. It can be used in a wide range of courses, from economics to food science to political science and postmodern studies of cultural attitudes. The first part of the book focuses on the political economy of food and traces the supply chain from production to point of sale. It highlights the increasing impact of capitalism on each stage of the process. The second part examines global issues in supply and demand, including famine, world patterns of food aid, and the related geopolitics. The third part is devoted to political ecology and the environmental issues related to food production and consumption. It describes in detail two of the most contentious recent issues, Mad Cow Disease and genetically modified foods. The final section provides a survey of food consumption around the world, including taste preferences, food habits, beliefs, and taboos.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A very good book...its wide range of very brief chapters keeps the reader constantly challenged. Given the wealth of information this is definitely one for the library shelf. -- TEG News (British Ecological Society) Australia An extremely ambitious book, full of references from various areas of food studies, ranging from geography and anthropology to rural sociology and agricultural economics. An invaluable resource that should help those in food studies beyond geography understand how geographers think about food, and help geographers and geography students understand the various perspectives on food within their field. -- Gastronomica

About the Author

Peter Atkins is a professor at the University of Durham, and Ian Bowler is a professor at the University of Leicester.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Education Publishers (March 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340720042
• ISBN-13: 978-0340720042
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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