Anthropology of the new rules of the table

The analysis by anthropologist Fanny Parise suggests that the study of our food practices offers a fascinating window onto the structures of domination and the reproduction of elites in an era of permacrisis. By shedding light on ’peerless eaters’, she reveals the way in which systems of power are reproduced and contested through food choices. Through the lens of “food magic” and “poisoned feasts”, the author demonstrates that even our most quotidian acts of eating are imbued with profound social, economic and environmental meanings. She concludes by anticipating a transition towards a more simplified and collective diet, which could challenge existing power structures and offer an alternative to the particular diets that currently prevail.