Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Food is a Feminist Issue

Food has been on my mind lately, and not in the usual "Mmmm, chocolate cake" kind of way. Lots of women are writing about the global food crisis that is currently most affecting those who were already struggling with access to food. Even the mainstream media is taking notice of the effect the collapse of the global food system is having on marginalized communities, though the conversation about how the crisis is manifesting in American is far from comprehensive, as Feminocracy eloquently points out. If you have the time, I really recommend reading as many of the linked posts as you can; they are all incredibly informative and invaluable

I struggled with using the word 'crisis' to describe this situation, because I feel that it is often over-used as a bludgeon by folks engaging in scare tactics, but the more I read about this the more apt it felt as a descriptor. Sharon Astyk has written an amazing post about what she calls "The Great Food Kablooey".

Has your life been impacted by the Great Food Kablooey? Are you concerned about it, or do you feel like it's a trend that will pass soon?

2 comments:

Ledena said...

Thanks for posting this Katie...it's a really important issue that I don't know very much about. I was just talking to Lyndi about the politics of food within my own family. It's an important issue of class and economics too. So much to learn!

On that note, I am really interested in starting a summer reading circle to learn more about intersecting issues (like food politics, labor and gender, participatory economics, etc.) Is anyone interested?

Katie C. said...

I am totally interested in a summer reading circle. I'd love to read and learn more about growing and preserving food, as well and then put it into practice, which seems like a perfect summer project!

Did you have any specific books in mind? When did you want to start?