Food, Power, Culture, and the City

Catalog description

Food is not simply consumption; it is a social system through which power, inequality, migration, labor, health, and sustainability become visible in everyday life. This course examines eating as a structured practice shaped by regulatory regimes, economic systems, religious traditions, public health debates, and global supply chains. Using Berlin as a living laboratory, students analyze markets, bakeries, Spatis, Doner shops, delivery platforms, and community kitchens as urban sites where identity, class, and governance intersect. Germany's position within the European Union allows local food practices to be situated within broader discussions of agricultural policy, environmental regulation, and transnational labor flows. Weekly seminars provide conceptual framing from anthropology, sociology, political economy, and public health, while guided field sessions train students in close observation, comparative analysis, and ethical reasoning. The course is experiential and analytical rather than culinary: no cooking required; tasting optional; sustained critical inquiry expected.