Commensality: From Everyday Food To Feast
by Cynthia Chou /
2015 / English / PDF
8.9 MB Download
Throughout time and in every culture, human beings have eaten
together. Commensality - eating and drinking at the same table -
is a fundamental social activity, which creates and cements
relationships. It also sets boundaries, including or excluding
people according to a set of criteria defined by the society.
Particular scholarly attention has been paid to banquets and
feasts, often hosted for religious, ritualistic or political
purposes, but few studies have considered everyday commensality.
Throughout time and in every culture, human beings have eaten
together. Commensality - eating and drinking at the same table -
is a fundamental social activity, which creates and cements
relationships. It also sets boundaries, including or excluding
people according to a set of criteria defined by the society.
Particular scholarly attention has been paid to banquets and
feasts, often hosted for religious, ritualistic or political
purposes, but few studies have considered everyday commensality.Commensality: From Everyday Food to Feast
Commensality: From Everyday Food to Feast offers an
insight into this social practice in all its forms, from the most
basic and mundane meals to the grandest occasions. Bringing
together insights from anthropologists, archaeologists and
historians, this volume offers a vast historical scope, ranging
from the Late Neolithic period (6th millennium BC), through the
Middle Ages, to the present day. The sixteen chapters include
case studies from across the world, including the USA, Bolivia,
China, Southeast Asia, Iran, Turkey, Portugal, Denmark and the
UK. Connecting these diverse analyses is an understanding of
commensality's role as a social and political tool, integral to
the formation of personal and national identities.
offers an
insight into this social practice in all its forms, from the most
basic and mundane meals to the grandest occasions. Bringing
together insights from anthropologists, archaeologists and
historians, this volume offers a vast historical scope, ranging
from the Late Neolithic period (6th millennium BC), through the
Middle Ages, to the present day. The sixteen chapters include
case studies from across the world, including the USA, Bolivia,
China, Southeast Asia, Iran, Turkey, Portugal, Denmark and the
UK. Connecting these diverse analyses is an understanding of
commensality's role as a social and political tool, integral to
the formation of personal and national identities.
From first experiences of commensality in the sharing of food
between a mother and child, to the inaugural dinner of the
American president, this collection of essays celebrates the
variety of human life and society.
From first experiences of commensality in the sharing of food
between a mother and child, to the inaugural dinner of the
American president, this collection of essays celebrates the
variety of human life and society.