Food Studies: An Introduction to Research Methods

This title is a guide to doing research in the burgeoning field of food studies. Designed for the classroom as well as for the independent scholar, the book details the predominant research methods in the field, provides a series of interactive questions and templates to help guide a project, and includes suggestions for food-specific resources such as archives, libraries and reference works. Interviews with leading scholars in the field and discussions of how the study of food can enhance traditional methods are included.

The book begins with overviews of food studies and research followed by a guide to the literature. Four methodological "baskets" representing the major methodologies of the field are explored together with interviews of leading scholars: food history (Ken Albala); ethnographic methods (Carole Counihan); cultural, material, and media studies (Psyche Williams-Forson); and quantitative methods (Jeffrey Sobal). The book concludes with chapters on research ethics, including working with human subjects, and technology tools for research.