A Study on the Transformation of Food/Foodways related to Wars and Imperialism: Rethinking the Relationship between Food/Foodways and the Nations

Keywords

war,food/foodways,nation　

Objectives

The current state of food and foodways is extremely complex and has been exposed to dramatic changes, but one key historical factor that has led to this state is war and imperialism. Food and foodways are the foundation of a nation’s strength in the first place. Therefore, war and imperialism can become key moments that move and transform food and foodways not only within a country, but also across national and regional borders. Focusing mainly on changes in food and foodways from the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century—the height of imperialist nations’ expansion—this inter-university research project will define how war and imperialism have transformed the food and foodways of nations and regions and how they are affecting current food and foodways, by primarily examining cases in Europe and Asia. And it is not only the national level, but a wide range of levels, standpoints, and agents that have been involved in such changes, including citizens (also taking into account class, gender, and other factors), military, experts, markets (including black markets), and media. Therefore, by conducting a comparative analysis of individual cases while taking the above factors into account, we will offer provisional arguments and discussion points about the mechanisms of transformation of food and foodways with the aim of contributing to rethinking the state of food and foodways in contemporary society in a more general sense.

Research Results

In this inter-university research project, many of the presentations of individual cases had to be held online during the COVID-19 pandemic, but thanks to holding in-person presentations after a one year delay, we were able to hold more in-depth discussions and presentations of the research outcomes in the final year.
Thirteen cases in Europe, the US, and Asia were reported by the members of the project. The reports show through specific examples that although there are differences in the structure and positioning of states and imperial power as well as between the imperial side and the colonial side, modern nation states further drove their development as nation states from the 19th to 20th century, and initiatives related to food/foodways became even more significant not only domestically but also in colonizing area outside in the process of expanding territory through imperialization and increasing hegemony. We confirmed that this has resulted in greatly transforming food/foodways in each region and its impact continues to be felt today. However, it was also revealed that this is not a unidirectional mechanism by state power (particularly empires), but has intricately complex aspects and involves ethnic groups, racial relationships, hierarchies, gender, and urban and rural, and other factors in each society. And considering that nation state formation does not penetrate every part of a nation in any society or age, we focused on the activities of individuals that take advantage of this in the gaps. It was also pointed out that this is very important in considering the changes in food/foodways. This means that considering with a focus on activities and changes surrounding food/foodways conversely reveal what exactly state power is, simultaneously. Also related to this is differences based on factors such as what is and isn’t a staple food in said food/foodways, and considering this as well could reveal the modalities of state power in a more multifaceted way. Furthermore, it is war—one expression of imperial state power—where multi-faceted and complex aspects appear most prominently. Therefore, we decided to release the results of this research project in the form of a publication in which we will question the modalities of state power based on food/foodways by chronologically rearranging cases centered on the two world wars, which are archetypal examples of this.