Eating in the city

This book explores changes in eating habits in African, Latin American and
Asian cities. It reveals—through studies on city dwellers’ food practices and
representations—the inadequacy of an analytical approach to these changes in
terms of Westernization, standardization, transition or convergence towards a
widely applicable model. Surveys conducted in cities of the Global South
revealed that city dwellers are inventing new forms of eating based on a
multitude of local and/or exogenous sources. Abidjan garba and Ouagadougou
bâbenda are novel dishes that exemplify this urban food invention trend.

The authors of the chapters are humanities and social science specialists from
Africa, Latin America and Asia who conduct research in these regions. They
invite readers to take a closer look at urban food in the Global South—the
picture that emerges is far removed from preconceived ideas regarding

poverty, health and the individual responsibility of food eaters. This book
should be of interest to a scientific audience of teachers and food systems
professionals, as well as any readers interested in urban social and cultural
dynamics and the development of sociological and anthropological theories from
the Global South.

Read Jean-Pierre Hassoun's preface, Emeritus Research Director at CNRS



The French version of this book, Manger en ville, is available on our website.

La version française de ce titre, Manger en ville, est disponible sur notre
site.