Anthropology of Food

Overview

You will examine the roles that food classification, production, distribution, exchange, cooking and eating play in social organisation, differentiation, religious practice and cultural identity and in mediating our relationships with non-human beings and surroundings. You will also explore the transregional and transnational movements of foods and culinary practices and the role of food in human migrations, as well as the formation of regional and national cuisines. 

As a student on the Anthropology of Food programme from SOAS University of London , you will study the passage of food from plant to palate, and examine who benefits, and who suffers, from contemporary modes of food production, exchange, preparation and consumption. You will address debates on the impact of contemporary food systems on food safety, dietary health, agrarian livelihoods and environmental sustainability and examine concerns over the alleged demise of family meals, traditional food knowledge and cooking skills.

Why study MA Anthropology of Food at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 5th in the UK for Anthropology and 16th in the world in the 2021 QS World University Rankings
• draw on the exceptional regional expertise of our academics in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages and politics, many of whom have joined us with a practical working knowledge of their disciplines
• thriving community of alumni and academics who have an impact on the world outside of academia
• flexibly structure your programme using our optional modules and/or optional modules from other departments, including the opportunity to learn a regional language
• we are specialists in the delivery of languages; your command of a second language at SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities.

Employment

The MA Anthropology of Food programme has a first-rate employability record. SOAS graduates move on to find employment in various fields:

• food-related government ministries
• international organisations
• development agencies
• media agencies
• non-governmental associations
• food, hospitality and tourism industries