9 - Digestible Anthropology

Last week, we looked at the anthropology of food – specifically, how food plays a role in creating and shaping our cultural identities. This week, we’re shifting to look at how food and culture are represented on television. Since the 1990s, ethnographic food television has become increasingly popular. Often starring celebrity chefs in the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain and more, these shows take their audience on a journey to discover local cuisines from all over the world.

This week we’ll discuss how this popular new brand of ethnography affects how anthropology is seen by the public. We will also consider how this kind of ethnography represents ‘others’, and whether this needs reform.