A summary my notes of all lectures of the course Food, Health and Society: An Integrated Socio-Political Perspective at Wageningen University (RSO-33306)
Lecture 1: Utopian thinking in an era of Food Wars
Part 1: Introduction to the course
Nexus – Food, health, environment
- Inextricably linked
- Actions in one area more often than not have impacts in one or both of the
others
- Where and how is this being addressed?
For example; Policy that seemed really good to solve problems around food,
health society that seemed really good but brought along other problems
biofuels (how we grow food), introduction of pesticides.
Content of the course
- Relationships between food – health – society
- From sociological and political science perspective
- We question: - How are food and health embedded in a social and cultural context?
- How are food and health regulated as a policy-issue?
THESE ARE BIG QUESTIONS
Aim
To enhance understanding of the socio-political aspects that influence the interrelations between
food, health and the living environment, and which are reflected in traditional as well as novel
governance arrangements.
It’s about politics, policy, food, the environment and health in different social contexts!
Course objectives
1. Explain the process of (food)policy-making and governance.
2. Explain the relation between food-systems, health and the environment.
3. Explain how social, cultural and political factors influence (un)healthy eating in ‘developed’ and
‘developing’ countries.
4. Evaluate (examples of) food policies.
5. Apply stakeholder- and problem analysis to existing policies and cases of new forms of
coordination.
6. Formulate recommendations based on these cases for an integral solution of food and health
problems.
Framing the course
- We frame the course by focusing on the role of the city and from a social equality perspective
- We ask: What if mayors ruled the world?
- Challenges the tradition of policy scholarship
State focused
Global focused
- Takes up challenge made by many social movements
Food sovereignty
Local food movements (Alt. Food Networks….)
Ecological public health (?)
, Part 2: Utopian thinking in an era of food wars
‘What is food policy?’
Why Utopia?
- We need new stories: beyond focus on ends and silver bullets
- Link critique with solution pathways
- Allows for diversity: not one single way forward
- Explore the limits of what is “thinkable” or “realistic”
- Starts a dialogue about just food systems
Food Utopia: A tool to study food policy
- As critique of existing systems
- Productive critique: put into question what exists
- Openness to diversity of ideas
- As engagement with experimentation around the future of the food system
- Move away from expecting things to be in a finished stated
- Food worlds are actively in the making
- As a process
- Recognize time and difficulty in changing the status quo
- Political project to find new ways to talk about food
Back to basics: What is policy?
- A policy is a principle/statement of intent to guide decisions and achieve anticipated outcomes
- We eat, drink and breathe (public) policy
- A public policy is a deliberate decision that provides guidance for addressing a public concern
Public Policy is usually about governments. But policy is everywhere (in this canteen, in this class)
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