Interrogating the intersections of food, journalism, and politics, this book offers a critical examination of food media and journalism, and its political potential against the backdrop of contemporary social challenges.

Contributors analyze current and historic examples such as #BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, climate change, Brexit, food sovereignty, and identity politics, highlighting how food media and journalism reach beyond the commercial imperatives of lifestyle journalism to negotiate nationalism, globalization, and social inequalities. The volume challenges the idea that food media/journalism are trivial and apolitical by drawing attention to the complex ways that storytelling about food has engaged political discourses in the past, and the innovative ways it is doing so today.

Bringing together international scholars from a variety of disciplines, the book will be of great interest to scholars and students of journalism, communication, media studies, food studies, sociology, and anthropology.

About the Author

Elizabeth Fakazis is Professor of Media Studies in the School of Design & Communication at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, USA.

Elfriede Fursich is Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

Reviews

"In the contemporary moment, food content-whether on Netflix, YouTube, the New York Times or Tik Tok-sits front and centre of post-broadcast media and journalism. No longer relegated to lifestyle supplements or the domestic realm, celebrity chefs and food journalists mix it up with politicians, climate change activists, and "me too" campaigners. Elizabeth Fakazis and Elfriede Fursich's timely and fascinating collection speaks to the power and political impact of food journalism at a time when an intensely mediatised foodie culture meets growing public awareness of ethical, environmental, labour, and animal rights issues in the food sphere. From food blogging and black lives matters to bad boy chefs practising culinary philanthropy, this rich array of chapters provided by an international cast of culinary scholars speak to the centrality of the critical politics of food to our everyday media engagement with food media and so-called lifestyle journalism. This book is a must read for journalism students, critical food studies scholars, and general readers interested in food citizenship, food media, and the politics of everyday life."
Tania Lewis, author of 'Digital Food: From Paddock to Platform' and Co-Director of the Digital Ethnography Research Centre at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

"Can lifestyle journalism ever contribute to civic responsibility? Is contemporary food media a symptom of the narcissism of high consumption and self-serving entrepreneurialism? Are Instagram and Twitter new sites of democratization of public culture or do they mark the death of common debate and discussion? Posing the most important questions that haunt food media today, this volume, carefully collected and closely argued, delivers bracing critique and surprising commentary on the viability of a journalism of everyday life, while alerting us to the symptoms of the fractious death of a common public culture."
Krishnendu Ray, author of 'The Ethnic Restaurateur," Food Studies, New York University, USA

"Food cultures and practices can be political, but often in covert ways. Thoughtful and impassioned journalism uncovers these politics, bringing issues such as food insecurity, environmental degradation, racism, classism, sexism, the cult of celebrity, and nationalism to the attention of the world. This wonderful book provides many examples of how food journalism and digital media content creators can challenge inequities, create controversy, and call for change."
Deborah Lupton, Vitalities Lab and Australian Research Centre for Automated Decision-Making and Society, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia

"Showcasing work from leading and emerging scholars and bringing together international and interdisciplinary perspectives, this volume offers a rich exploration into the intersections of food, media, and politics. A welcome, and timely, addition to the growing field of food communication, this project centers on the political relevance of food media and journalism and investigates their influence on personal and civic lives. A must-read for students and scholars in the fields of communication, media, and journalism, and anyone interested in food communication and politics."
Alla Tovares, co-editor of 'Identity and Ideology in Digital Food Discourse,' Howard University, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9781032255606
Author Elizabeth Fakazis
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 467g