96486 - Sociology of Food Consumption

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have acquired the conceptual frameworks typical of sociology, enabling them to understand how the system of consumption is not merely an economic sector, but above all a device for social communication.
Foodstuffs s, in fact, constitute a relational symbolic system grounded in sociocultural meanings, through which people’s everyday lives are organized.
In particular, by the end of the course, the student will possess the theoretical and methodological tools to understand how consumption practices in the food and wine sector, through the processes of mediatization, branding, and creativity, are shaped by broader dynamics of globalization, individualization, and growing consumer awareness and responsibility.

Course contents

The course analyses the development of the sociology of food, retracing its main strands, from the affirmation of the classic paradigms of distinction to the most recent perspectives on sustainability, critical consumption and food sovereignty.
The course is divided into two parts.

In the first part of the course, starting from a structural reflection on the relationship between society and food, the main conceptual issues useful for analysing modern food culture will be illustrated. Topics covered will include: main theoretical and conceptual paradigms in the sociology of food and food consumption (e.g. fashion, consumption as practice); the globalisation of food and relocation processes; the transformation of diets between industrialisation and global chains; the antinomies of food taste.

The second part of the course will present a series of international and Italian empirical studies in the field of food consumption, with particular attention to the analysis of the social and political meanings of sustainability, the evolution of critical consumption practices, food sovereignty movements and forms of food citizenship. Drawing on previous knowledge in the anthropology of food, themes such as intersectionality and food practices, foodism and new forms of distinction, drinking cultures, and the social construction of quality and authenticity with particular reference to Italianness will also be explored.

Readings/Bibliography

Exchange students should study:

Poulain, J. P. (2017). The Sociology of Food: Eating and the Place of Food in Society. Bloomsbury Academic.

and contact the instructor for a bespoke readings list from which they will choose three chapters\articles.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminar discussions

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered attending students.
The exam consists of an oral interview on the topics covered in the reading list and, for attending students, in the class notes.
The following are taken into account for the assessment: language skills, understanding of the topics discussed, ability to make connections between the various topics.
The mark is expressed in thirtieths. At the discretion of the instructor, honours may be added.
Assessment criteria and grades: Students who achieve a full critical understanding of the topics covered in class and mastery of the specific language will be awarded marks of excellence. A mnemonic knowledge of the subject matter and the ability to synthesise and analyse using language that is not always appropriate will lead to fair grades. Gaps in knowledge and/or inappropriate language will lead to grades of simple sufficiency. Serious gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, and a lack of orientation within the bibliographic materials provided for the course will be evaluated negatively.


Students with learning difficulty and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Slides, audiovisuals, and teaching materials shared via a Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Elia AG Arfini