Food Studies (Online)...there is a Dissertation for That!
Food is an invaluable lens for examining developments in gender roles, class structures, government, health, technology, and more
By Sarah Palmer, Customer Experience Supervisor
With the addition of Alexander Street, the span of content scholars and researchers can access with ProQuest continues to grow in variety and volume. It’s an exhilarating time to be an information seeker. We’re still discovering for ourselves the vast array of audio, visual, text and other resources.
One of our favorite places to explore is Alexander Street’s Food Studies Online database. This first of its kind collection brings together rare archival content with text, video, photographs and 5000+ pages of visual ephemera – labels, recipes, advertisements and more, from the turn of the century through the 1960s – all related to the most delicious subject: FOOD.
Of course, food isn’t just necessary for the nourishment of our bodies. It’s always been an integral part of cultures and communities around the world. This makes food an invaluable lens for examining developments in gender roles, class structures, government, health, technology, and more. While food studies is a relatively new area of research, it intersects with many major disciplines. Accordingly, the Food Studies Online database can be explored by various related topics, such as history, anthropology, business, the environment, and politics.
This got us thinking about related content in our other products. So we dove into ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global to find what’s been written about food history, food policy and the business of food.
Here is just a taste of what we found:
Berkowitz, S. E. (2015). Providing flexible food portions in a restaurant setting: Impact on business operations, food consumption and food waste (Order No. 1591095). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1696068793).
Chan, S. H. (2014). Making to taste: Culinary experimentalism in Asian Pacific American culture (Order No. 3641685). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1620906589).
Jou, C. (2009). Controlling consumption: The origins of modern American ideas about food, eating, and fat, 1886-1930 (Order No. 3378017). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304979925).
Ju, P. (1996). The state, food, and agriculture in dependent development: The case of Korea with special reference to her food dependency on the United States in the process of industrialization, 1945-1990 (Order No. 9634773). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304362715).
Sato, K. (2007). Meanings of genetically modified food and policy change and persistence: The cases of France, Japan and the United States (Order No. 3273531). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304823922).
In addition, ProQuest Historical Newspapers offers a wealth recipe ideas and is another way to research food trends over time.
Here is a selection of summer recipes from around the world:
Eddington, J. (1928, Jul 28). Cucumbers make delicious dish for summer day. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963)
Norton, J. (1922, Aug 19). THE HOME KITCHEN. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (1879-1922)
SUMMER DRINKS. (1922, Jul 31). The Irish Times (1921-Current File)
Summer soups. (1922, Jun 07). The Manchester Guardian (1901-1959)