Eating While Black

Food Shaming and Race in America

By Psyche A. Williams-Forson | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

Psyche A. Williams-Forson is one of our leading thinkers about food in America. In Eating While Black, she offers her knowledge and experience to illuminate how anti-Black racism operates in the practice and culture of eating. She shows how mass media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy drive entrenched opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat. Distorted views of how and what Black people eat are pervasive, bolstering the belief that they must be corrected and regulated. What is at stake is nothing less than whether Americans can learn to embrace nonracist understandings and practices in relation to food.

Sustainable culture—what keeps a community alive and thriving—is essential to Black peoples' fight for access and equity, and food is central to this fight. Starkly exposing the rampant shaming and policing around how Black people eat, Williams-Forson contemplates food’s role in cultural transmission, belonging, homemaking, and survival. Black people’s relationships to food have historically been connected to extreme forms of control and scarcity—as well as to stunning creativity and ingenuity. In advancing dialogue about eating and race, this book urges us to think and talk about food in new ways in order to improve American society on both personal and structural levels.

Editions of Eating While Black

Hardcover
ISBN 9781469668451
EBook
ISBN 9781469668475
EBook
ISBN 9798890854803
EBook
ISBN 9781469668468
PDF
ISBN 9798890854797

Read an Excerpt

Psyche A. Williams-Forson is one of our leading thinkers about food in America. In Eating While Black, she offers her knowledge and experience to illuminate how anti-Black racism operates in the practice and culture of eating. She shows how mass media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy drive entrenched opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat. Distorted views of how and what Black people eat are pervasive, bolstering the belief that they must be corrected and regulated. What is at stake is nothing less than whether Americans can learn to embrace nonracist understandings and practices in relation to food.

Sustainable culture—what keeps a community alive and thriving—is essential to Black peoples' fight for access and equity, and food is central to this fight. Starkly exposing the rampant shaming and policing around how Black people eat, Williams-Forson contemplates food’s role in cultural transmission, belonging, homemaking, and survival. Black people’s relationships to food have historically been connected to extreme forms of control and scarcity—as well as to stunning creativity and ingenuity. In advancing dialogue about eating and race, this book urges us to think and talk about food in new ways in order to improve American society on both personal and structural levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Eating While Black about?

Psyche A. Williams-Forson is one of our leading thinkers about food in America. In Eating While Black, she offers her knowledge and experience to illuminate how anti-Black racism operates in the practice and culture of eating. She shows how mass media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy drive entrenched opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat. Distorted views of how and what Black people eat are pervasive, bolstering the belief that they must be corrected and regulated. What is at stake is nothing less than whether Americans can learn to embrace nonracist understandings and practices in relation to food.

Sustainable culture—what keeps a community alive and thriving—is essential to Black peoples' fight for access and equity, and food is central to this fight. Starkly exposing the rampant shaming and policing around how Black people eat, Williams-Forson contemplates food’s role in cultural transmission, belonging, homemaking, and survival. Black people’s relationships to food have historically been connected to extreme forms of control and scarcity—as well as to stunning creativity and ingenuity. In advancing dialogue about eating and race, this book urges us to think and talk about food in new ways in order to improve American society on both personal and structural levels.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Eating While Black?

Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Ethnic studies / Ethnicity

Where can I read a sample of Eating While Black?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469668451

How long is Eating While Black and how many pages does it have?

Eating While Black has 264 page(s)

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Eating While Black?

Psyche A. Williams-Forson

Who is the Publisher of the book Eating While Black?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Eating While Black is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469668451) and ebook(ISBN 9781469668475) and ebook(ISBN 9798890854803) and ebook(ISBN 9781469668468) and pdf(ISBN 9798890854797)

Where can I buy Eating While Black online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Eating While Black from below

Where can I buy Eating While Black?