96457 - Anthropology of Food

Learning outcomes

The course aims to illustrate the main thematic and theoretical–methodological issues in the anthropology of food, exploring the variety of sociocultural processes surrounding the production and consumption of food. By the end of the course, students will have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out an effective anthropological analysis of food-related phenomena.

Course contents

The course will address the most important themes in the anthropology of food, with attention to the sacred, ritual, symbolic, and identity-related meanings of foods and drinks. Particular attention will be devoted to the development of tastes and disgusts across instincts, cultures, and food systems.

The course is structured as follows:

1. Introduction to the course and to the anthropology of food – Agriculture, plants of civilization, and mythology – Archaic production systems and the emergence of complex societies.
2. Rozin: Evolutionary psychology and food choices.
3. Food and structuralism: the nature/culture dichotomy – Lévi-Strauss: the culinary triangle – Food taboos: Marvin Harris and Mary Douglas.
4. Bourdieu: subjectivity and the social critique of taste – Food tribes.
5. Elias: the civilizing process and table manners.
6. The pig between nature and culture, domestic and wild – The inquiries of Roy Rappaport and Marcello Massenzio.
7. Food and the myth of the past – The anthropology of dining out.
8. The Mediterranean diet – Traditional, local, and globalized: delocalization and food in the global age.
9. Foster: a world of "limited good" – Jack Goody: food and gender – Food, masculine and feminine in the social media age.
10. Ritual and medico-magical uses of food.
11. The birth of modern food systems – Sidney Mintz: sugar and the British Empire – Multinationals and globalization.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts for attending students:

One handbook to be chosen from:

• A. Koensler and P. Meloni, Antropologia dell'alimentazione. Produzione, consumo, movimenti sociali (Rome: Carocci, 2019)
• Food and Culture. A Reader, ed. C. Counihan and P. Van Esterik (London–New York: Routledge, 2013), pp. 19–103 [available on the course's Virtuale platform]

Two texts to be chosen from the following:

• A. Maraschi, A tavola con i demoni. Cibo e magia nell'alto medioevo (Rome–Bari: Laterza, 2026)
• M. Montanari, Il cibo come cultura (Rome–Bari: Laterza, 2004)
• M. Montanari, P. Petrillo, Tutti a tavola. Perché la cucina italiana è un patrimonio dell’umanità (Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2025)
• E. Moro, La dieta mediterranea. Mito e storia di uno stile di vita (Bologna: il Mulino, 2013)
• E. Moro, M. Niola, Mangiare come Dio comanda (Turin: Einaudi, 2023)
• M. Niola, Homo dieteticus. Viaggio nelle tribù alimentari (Bologna: il Mulino, 2015)
• M. Niola, Si fa presto a dire cotto. Un antropologo in cucina (Bologna: il Mulino, 2023)

The contents of these volumes will be supplemented by materials presented in class and downloadable from Virtuale.

Non-attending students:

Non-attending students will add, to the handbook and two books of their choice, a further book from the list (one handbook + three books of their choice).

Teaching methods

Lectures, including thematic presentations, film screenings, and the reading and discussion of selected documents.

Assessment methods

Oral examination.

Assessment will take into account the accuracy and appropriateness of language, the understanding of the topics discussed, and the ability to establish meaningful connections among the various themes.

As regards the assessment of learning, the use of AI is prohibited. Any such use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

The final grade will be expressed on a scale of thirty points. At the instructor’s discretion, cum laude (honours) may be awarded.

Evaluation Criteria

• Excellent (28–30 cum laude): Full and critical understanding of the topics covered in class, combined with a confident command of the specific disciplinary language.

• Good (25–27): Sound but mostly descriptive knowledge of the subject matter, with the ability to summarize and analyze using language that is generally appropriate though not always precise.

• Satisfactory (21–24): Some gaps in content knowledge and/or limited use of appropriate terminology, yet an overall adequate comprehension of the material.

• Pass (18–20): Significant gaps in understanding or improper use of language, with partial orientation within the course bibliography.

• Fail (<18): Severe conceptual or linguistic deficiencies and lack of familiarity with the core materials will result in a failing grade.

Teaching tools

All lecture materials discussed in class, which will supplement the bibliography, will be made available to students.

Students with learning disorders 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.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Maraschi