Feminism Sheds Light On Food Studies
Katelyn Stoler
10/5/2006
Dr. Counihan: HNRS. FOOD & CULTURE
MIDTERM ESSAY
Feminism Sheds Light on Food Studies
Much can be learned from using the feminist perspective in anthropological and sociological research. At a first glance, the concept of a feminist study or outlook tends to come off as involving pro-female, anti-male sentiment. However, there is much more to feminism than male-bashing; along with post-modernism, feminist theoretical, philosophical and political movements have drastically changed the nature of sociological inquiry. Both schools of thought bring awareness to issues of positionality, particularly the self-reflexivity of the researcher. Feminism isn't just a focus on females and women's issues: it incorporates modernity in a comprehensive search for the causes of inequality. Feminist thinkers take a holistic viewpoint, and carefully consider all factors involved in any given social situation. In this essay, I will attempt to explain the significance of taking a feminist approach to cultural studies, and to provide examples of applied feminist theory and its specific insights in food studies.
Feminists see gender as socially constructed; through looking at the universal social roles played by men and women, feminists seek out the sources of inequality. Feminism also brings attention to the societal expectations of women as domestic providers, feeders and caregivers. In Around the Tuscan Table, author Carole Counihan writes that, "Production was associated with men and socially valued, while reproduction was viewed as women's natural duty, isolated in the home and taken for grantedÂ… Food is a useful lens because it is a central part of reproductive labor" (Counihan, 79). In this case, the author founded traditional Florentine cultural practice and belief (engrained in the structures and beliefs of Sicilian people) as the cause of inequalities between men and women in Florence....
Please login to view the full essay...