From high-tech kitchen gadgets and magazines to the Food Network, the last few decades have seen a huge rise in food-focused consumption, media, and culture. The discourses surrounding food range from media coverage of school lunchrooms and hunger issues, to news stories about urban gardening or buying organic products at the local farmers market. Food is no longer viewed merely as a means of survival.
International and comprehensive in approach, this volume is the first book-length study of food from a communication perspective. Scholars examine and explore this emerging field to provide definitive and foundational examples of how food operates as a system of communication, and how communication theory and practices can be understood by considering food in this way. In doing so, the book serves to inspire future dialogues on the subject due to its vast array of ideas about food and its relationship to our communication practices.
International and comprehensive in approach, this volume is the first book-length study of food from a communication perspective. Scholars examine and explore this emerging field to provide definitive and foundational examples of how food operates as a system of communication, and how communication theory and practices can be understood by considering food in this way. In doing so, the book serves to inspire future dialogues on the subject due to its vast array of ideas about food and its relationship to our communication practices.
«'Food as Communication: Communication as Food' is a wonderful introduction to this field of food studies research. These authors watched movies and television, examined package labels, visited exotic places, delved in wonderful libraries, and ate great food, and analyzed the meaning of these experiences for modern identity, culture, and politics. Anyone interested in what food can tell us about ourselves and our neighbors will want to read this book.» (Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, and author of 'Food Politics and What to Eat')
«Collectively, the manuscript is an assembly prism that disperses light, making transparent food's constitutional force and pervasive influence in most aspects of our daily lives. In addition to being well-organized and well-written, all of the chapters are amazingly free of academic jargon, which make them readily understandable.» (Jane Ferry, Webster University)
«This fascinating collection of research articles walks the reader through history and space, the ages and the professions to get at the nitty-grittyness of this power [...] To make food visible, the authors rightly observe food in very specific ways as each tries to examine the meaning of the particular phenomenon under study making use of food as the 'communicator' of that meaning.» (Toni Liquori, School Food FOCUS, and Nutrition Program, Adjunct Full Professor, Teachers College Columbia University)
«Yum! Finally, a meaty volume for scholars and students interested in food and communication in a wide variety of contexts. 'Food as Communication' offers many smart, accessible essays about our food discourses, recommending its use for courses in media and cultural studies, interpersonal/organizational/intercultural communication, and environmental studies alike.» (Kathleen LeBesco, Co-editor, 'Edible Ideologies: Representing Food and Meaning', Professor of Communication Arts, Marymount Manhattan College)
«Cramer, Greene, and Walters have assembled an impressive volume that constitutes a map for the edible turn in environmental communication. Together, these essays reveal the power of food as a site of critical awareness, linking our daily biological needs to issues of language, media, identity and environmental policy.» (Andy Opel, PhD, Associate Professor and Director, Media Production Program, Florida State University)
«This volume contributes significantly to Food Studies by clearly defining one discipline's potential for understanding the subject. In twenty-two chapters of international scope, it outlines theories and methods in the field of Communication and demonstrates how they are applicable to understanding food as social, cultural, political, and personal discourse. An excellent resource!» (Lucy Long, PhD, Instructor, International Studies & American Culture Studies, University of Pennsylvania)
«Collectively, the manuscript is an assembly prism that disperses light, making transparent food's constitutional force and pervasive influence in most aspects of our daily lives. In addition to being well-organized and well-written, all of the chapters are amazingly free of academic jargon, which make them readily understandable.» (Jane Ferry, Webster University)
«This fascinating collection of research articles walks the reader through history and space, the ages and the professions to get at the nitty-grittyness of this power [...] To make food visible, the authors rightly observe food in very specific ways as each tries to examine the meaning of the particular phenomenon under study making use of food as the 'communicator' of that meaning.» (Toni Liquori, School Food FOCUS, and Nutrition Program, Adjunct Full Professor, Teachers College Columbia University)
«Yum! Finally, a meaty volume for scholars and students interested in food and communication in a wide variety of contexts. 'Food as Communication' offers many smart, accessible essays about our food discourses, recommending its use for courses in media and cultural studies, interpersonal/organizational/intercultural communication, and environmental studies alike.» (Kathleen LeBesco, Co-editor, 'Edible Ideologies: Representing Food and Meaning', Professor of Communication Arts, Marymount Manhattan College)
«Cramer, Greene, and Walters have assembled an impressive volume that constitutes a map for the edible turn in environmental communication. Together, these essays reveal the power of food as a site of critical awareness, linking our daily biological needs to issues of language, media, identity and environmental policy.» (Andy Opel, PhD, Associate Professor and Director, Media Production Program, Florida State University)
«This volume contributes significantly to Food Studies by clearly defining one discipline's potential for understanding the subject. In twenty-two chapters of international scope, it outlines theories and methods in the field of Communication and demonstrates how they are applicable to understanding food as social, cultural, political, and personal discourse. An excellent resource!» (Lucy Long, PhD, Instructor, International Studies & American Culture Studies, University of Pennsylvania)