Italian Food Activism in Urban Sardinia: Place, Taste, and Community

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With her new book, Italian Food Activism in Urban Sardinia, cultural anthropologist Carole Counihan makes a significant contribution to understanding the growing global movement for food democracy. Providing a detailed ethnographic case study from Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island-region of Sardinia, she draws upon Sardinians own descriptions of their actions and motivations to change their food as they pursue grassroots alternatives to the agro-industrial food system through GAS (Gruppi di Acquisito Solidale or solidarity-based purchase groups), organic and urban agriculture, alternative restaurants, and farm-to-school programs. They link their activism to the sensory and emotional resonance of food and its nostalgic connections to place, tradition, and culture. They stress the importance of education through experience, and they build relationships and networks through workshops, farm visits, and commensality. The book focuses on three key themes to emerge in interviews with Cagliari food activists: the significance of territorio (or place), the importance of taste, and the role of education. By exploring these areas of concern, Counihan uncovers key tensions in consumption as a force for change, in individual vs. group actions, and in political and economic power relations, which are of crucial importance to wider global efforts to promote food democracy.

Reviews

One of the strengths of this work is its ethnographic approach The testimonies of food activists engage the reader and exemplify the theoretical concepts framing the presentation of each chapter and case study. * EuropeNow *
Offering a vivid picture of an island engaged in eating well, Counihans methodology is extremely thorough ... [This book] will be of particular benefit to those scholars interested in taste, place, and territorio (or terroir) as the detailed place-based ethnography grounds these themes in everyday practice. It would also be of great interest to food activists, a rare and welcome thing that the subjects of research be a key audience for the finished work. * Graduate Association for Food Studies *
'We grab them with the senses,' notes one Italian food activist. This book, written by one of the leading scholars in food anthropology, does exactly that! * David E. Sutton, Southern Illinois University, USA *
This is exactly what an ethnography should be: sensitive and people-centred, giving voice to subjects that often are voiceless; analytical while at the same time evocative. * Michael A. Di Giovine, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA *
Drawing on a deep familiarity with Sardinian foodways, Carole Counihan offers an inspired and inspiring exploration of the kind of food activism that is ever more necessary. * Jeffrey Cole, Connecticut College, USA *
This book illustrates how focusing on a peripheral site generates insights that can shed light on global food issues, from agrobiodiversity to gender and justice. * Fabio Parasecoli, NYU Steinhardt, USA *
This rich work is an important contribution to understanding how diverse people are building new food economies. * Richard Wilk, Indiana University, USA *
Carole Counihan is a master storyteller who weaves together a narrative of food activism in Sardinia's capital Cagliari. From restaurants to cooperatives, this book tells of everyday acts of resistance in the name of food security, culture and taste. * Rachel Black, Connecticut College, USA *

Author Bio

Carole Counihan is Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Millersville University, USA.