Food, National Identity and Nationalism From Everyday to Global Politics

by Ichijo, Atsuko; Ranta, Ronald

• ISBN13: 9781137483126
• ISBN10: 1137483121
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-10-30
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Food is a theme largely neglected in the study of nationalism. From Japanese-style pasta sauce to the Israelisation of Arab-Palestinians' food culture, this book investigates a variety of cases related to food and nationalism across the world. Its authors draw on a variety of cases: from the everyday activity of individuals, to the commercial sector's efforts to sell their products, to gastrodiplomacy conducted by nation states. Through such examinations, Food, National Identity and Nationalism shows how useful the food and nationalism axis is in the study of politics, and how politics and food permeate every level of human life.

Author Biography

Atsuko Ichijo is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Kingston University, UK. Her research focuses on various aspects of nationalism. She is the author of Nationalism and Multiple Modernities: Europe and Beyond (2013) and is a member of the editorial team of Nations and Nationalism.

Ronald Ranta is a Lecturer in Politics in the Department of Politics, Kingston University, UK. His research areas include foreign policy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the politics of food, and the study of nationalism. He is the author of Political Decision Making and Non-Decisions (2015) and From the Arab Other to the Israeli Self (2015).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Food, nationalism and national identity
PART I: UNOFFICIAL/BOTTOM-UP: NATIONALISM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY THROUGH FOOD AWAY FROM THE STATE
1. Everyday creation of the nation
2. When groups participate in defining the nation
3. Consuming nations: the construction of national identities in the food industry
PART II: OFFICIAL/TOP-DOWN; THE NATION-STATE, FOOD AND NATIONALISM 
4. Food and diet in 'official' nationalism