Ashley B, Hollows J, Jones S. and B. Taylor : The food, the body and label (p.41-57), extract of Cultural Studies and Food

Résumé du document

This chapter is taken from Food and Cultural Studies. The aim to give an introduction to "Cultural Studies" through the examination of food and culture. What, how, when, where we eat indicate who we are and where we come from, are the questions which are linked with an identification process which became an important issue in the contemporary society. Authors raise some issues by linking food consumption to cultural identity. Their approaches understand the cultural phenomenon of food through five processes: "production, regulation, representation, identity and consumption". This article, focusses on how we eat and table manner. It is divided into three parts - an introduction which argues that the table manners and etiquettes have been built through a historical and cultural process. In the second part, to analyze this process and its effect, the article focuses on Norbert Elias and Mikhail Bakhtin's complementary works.

Extraits

[...] But, chapter notices that: they give less explanations about the obvious gender distinction that table manner created and that new table manner's development could be controversial. There is less and less formal behaviour based on health than on social distinction. The lack of formal and collective meal, decreases the need to show one's social position. But, the chapter puts in perspective those critics and argues that our lack of perspective refrain us from judging the efficiency of the civilising process theory. In the third part, chapter analyses John Morgan's influent work (10). [...]

[...] The set up of table manner is a bound between the self (body), and our social statues (society). To Elias, how people manage their body is the key of civilising process”. It's a historical evolution between social relations and its effects on body's perception; it leaded to the increase of shame and embarrassment. The way the two spheres, (internal (body) and external (society)) interacted has been transformed through history in a “dynamic the upper classes' perpetual need to maintain social distinction, through more and more civilised conducts. [...]

[...] Authors raise some issues by linking food consumption to cultural identity. Their approaches understand the cultural phenomenon of food through five processes: “production, regulation, representation, identity and consumption”. This article, focus on how we eat, in other word the analysis of set up of western table manner. It is divided into three parts: introduction argues that table manner and etiquette have been built through a historical and cultural process. In the second part, to analyse this process and its effect, they focus on Norbert Elias and Mikhail Bakhtin (4)'s complementary works. [...]

[...] Pierre Bourdieu explains why it emphasized social and gender distinctions: table manner are part of our “food habitus(13)” ,our cultural capital, which is a print of our social identity. As Elias did, those methods focus on the causes of social facts to explain their function. Holism could therefore help us to understand why the chapter's authors choose to study the set up of table manner through a historical process. By sociological method we are available to understand better their approach. [...]

[...] Secondly authors don't put it into question their method. The problem is that they focus on Elias's theory. Indeed, main approaches aren't enough put into perspective. I noticed that even critics are used to increase its veracity and relevance. It would have been interesting to give us a real account of other methods and theories in order to efficiently figure out the social function of table manners in today's society. To conclude, it lacks a real and clear presentation of sociological approach which focuses only on theories. [...]