Laurence Godin | Université du Québec à Montréal (original) (raw)
Papers by Laurence Godin
A B S T R A C T This paper takes as a starting point " food consumption prescriptions " , or guid... more A B S T R A C T This paper takes as a starting point " food consumption prescriptions " , or guidelines on what and how one should eat when it comes to " healthy and sustainable diets ". Through qualitative research in Switzerland, involving discourse analysis, observations, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, we set out to uncover the more dominant prescriptions put forward by a variety of actors, how consumers represent these prescriptions, as well as overlaps and tensions between them. The notion of a " balanced meal " is the more prominent prescription, along with the idea that food and eating should be " pleasurable ". Guidelines towards eating local and seasonal products overlap with organic and natural food consumption, while prescriptions to eat less meat of higher quality are in tension with prescriptions around vegetarian and vegan diets. We then consider how prescriptions play out in daily life, as both a resource and obstacle towards the establishment of eating habits, and what dimensions of everyday life have the most influence on how certain prescriptions are enacted – contributing to conceptual deliberations on food in relation to social practices. Time, mobility, and the relationships built around food and eating are forces to be reckoned with when considering possible transitions towards the normative goal of " healthier and more sustainable diets " .
Recherches féministes, 2014
Books by Laurence Godin
Dans les années 1970, l’anorexie et la boulimie ont fait une entrée fracassante dans l’espace pub... more Dans les années 1970, l’anorexie et la boulimie ont fait une entrée fracassante dans l’espace public. Dès le départ, on leur suppose un fort ancrage social. Toutefois, les différentes disci-plines mobilisées autour de la question ne parviennent jamais vraiment à comprendre la teneur de la relation entre troubles alimentaires et société. Par l’examen d’une variété de discours scientifiques sur la dimension sociale de l’anorexie et de la boulimie, issus entre autres de la psychiatrie, de la psychologie, des gender studies et des neurosciences, l’auteure de cet ouvrage présente les diverses conceptions de l’individu et de son rapport à la société qui organisent cette littérature.
L’un des principaux enjeux qui se présentent aujourd’hui consiste à penser ensemble les troubles alimentaires comme expérience intime et située ainsi que les traits dominants des sociétés contemporaines. Dans ce cadre, l’auteure se penche entre autres sur la relation entre le corps et la santé mentale pour dégager des pistes de réflexion qui pourraient permettre de lier l’intime et le social.
Cet ouvrage intéressera les étudiants, les chercheurs et les intervenants. Il propose un état des savoirs sur la dimension sociale des troubles alimentaires, une analyse sociologique des représentations de l’individu et de la société imbriquées à ces discours et un examen des possibilités qu’offre l’intégration du corps vécu et ressenti à la sociologie de la santé mentale.
Publications by Laurence Godin
Appetite, 2020
Meat consumption has become a contentious issue among the Swiss population. The emotional charact... more Meat consumption has become a contentious issue among the Swiss population. The emotional character of the debates surrounding the necessity for a change of habits, namely a reduction in consumption and a shift in the kind of meat we eat, reveals its particular place in our societies: as a symbolic food with roots in our affective economies, as involved in the creation of a shared culture and national identity, and as a political object used to defend different views. To date, research in sustainable consumption has given much attention to environmental- and animal-friendly groups and their practices. However, certain interest groups have been voicing the right to meat, or promoting alternative forms of meat consumption. In this paper, we seek to understand the affective dimension of ‘no’, ‘low’ and ‘pro’ meat consumption initiatives in the Swiss context. Based on a qualitative study and an understanding of emotions as part of social practices, we draw out what affects and related moralities are being mobilized by prescribers and how they are picked up in practice. By doing so, we contribute to further understanding the emotions and moral registers linked to different approaches to meat (non)consumption, their role in promoting certain practices over others, as well as the dynamics that make reducing meat consumption so controversial. We conclude by discussing the need to take emotions and related moralities seriously as a crucial step towards understanding opportunities for ‘healthy and sustainable’ food practices.
A B S T R A C T This paper takes as a starting point " food consumption prescriptions " , or guid... more A B S T R A C T This paper takes as a starting point " food consumption prescriptions " , or guidelines on what and how one should eat when it comes to " healthy and sustainable diets ". Through qualitative research in Switzerland, involving discourse analysis, observations, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, we set out to uncover the more dominant prescriptions put forward by a variety of actors, how consumers represent these prescriptions, as well as overlaps and tensions between them. The notion of a " balanced meal " is the more prominent prescription, along with the idea that food and eating should be " pleasurable ". Guidelines towards eating local and seasonal products overlap with organic and natural food consumption, while prescriptions to eat less meat of higher quality are in tension with prescriptions around vegetarian and vegan diets. We then consider how prescriptions play out in daily life, as both a resource and obstacle towards the establishment of eating habits, and what dimensions of everyday life have the most influence on how certain prescriptions are enacted – contributing to conceptual deliberations on food in relation to social practices. Time, mobility, and the relationships built around food and eating are forces to be reckoned with when considering possible transitions towards the normative goal of " healthier and more sustainable diets " .
Recherches féministes, 2014
Dans les années 1970, l’anorexie et la boulimie ont fait une entrée fracassante dans l’espace pub... more Dans les années 1970, l’anorexie et la boulimie ont fait une entrée fracassante dans l’espace public. Dès le départ, on leur suppose un fort ancrage social. Toutefois, les différentes disci-plines mobilisées autour de la question ne parviennent jamais vraiment à comprendre la teneur de la relation entre troubles alimentaires et société. Par l’examen d’une variété de discours scientifiques sur la dimension sociale de l’anorexie et de la boulimie, issus entre autres de la psychiatrie, de la psychologie, des gender studies et des neurosciences, l’auteure de cet ouvrage présente les diverses conceptions de l’individu et de son rapport à la société qui organisent cette littérature.
L’un des principaux enjeux qui se présentent aujourd’hui consiste à penser ensemble les troubles alimentaires comme expérience intime et située ainsi que les traits dominants des sociétés contemporaines. Dans ce cadre, l’auteure se penche entre autres sur la relation entre le corps et la santé mentale pour dégager des pistes de réflexion qui pourraient permettre de lier l’intime et le social.
Cet ouvrage intéressera les étudiants, les chercheurs et les intervenants. Il propose un état des savoirs sur la dimension sociale des troubles alimentaires, une analyse sociologique des représentations de l’individu et de la société imbriquées à ces discours et un examen des possibilités qu’offre l’intégration du corps vécu et ressenti à la sociologie de la santé mentale.
Appetite, 2020
Meat consumption has become a contentious issue among the Swiss population. The emotional charact... more Meat consumption has become a contentious issue among the Swiss population. The emotional character of the debates surrounding the necessity for a change of habits, namely a reduction in consumption and a shift in the kind of meat we eat, reveals its particular place in our societies: as a symbolic food with roots in our affective economies, as involved in the creation of a shared culture and national identity, and as a political object used to defend different views. To date, research in sustainable consumption has given much attention to environmental- and animal-friendly groups and their practices. However, certain interest groups have been voicing the right to meat, or promoting alternative forms of meat consumption. In this paper, we seek to understand the affective dimension of ‘no’, ‘low’ and ‘pro’ meat consumption initiatives in the Swiss context. Based on a qualitative study and an understanding of emotions as part of social practices, we draw out what affects and related moralities are being mobilized by prescribers and how they are picked up in practice. By doing so, we contribute to further understanding the emotions and moral registers linked to different approaches to meat (non)consumption, their role in promoting certain practices over others, as well as the dynamics that make reducing meat consumption so controversial. We conclude by discussing the need to take emotions and related moralities seriously as a crucial step towards understanding opportunities for ‘healthy and sustainable’ food practices.