Gendered and gendering practices of food and cooking: an inquiry into authorisation, legitimisation and androcentric dividends in three social fields

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss gendered and gendering practices of food and cooking. Focusing mainly on Sweden, we discuss how these practices are privileged or disfavoured through acts of authorisation and legitimisation. Through a perspective of critical studies on men and masculinities (CSMM) and with inspiration from Bourdieu's concept of social fields, we have inquired into three fields in which practices of food and cooking are produced, consumed and communicated: the field of conspicuousness, the field of welfare state institutions and the domestic field. We show the gendered and gendering characteristics of these fields in Sweden and argue that androcentric dividends privilege some fields and actors in these fields more than others. This article's main contribution is to expand on previous research on food and gender and further explain Swedish men's increased interest in and assumption of responsibility for food and cooking in the domestic field. First, there is the enhanced status of the field owing to greater incorporation of gastronomy. Second, food and cooking practices do not seem to be associated with emasculation in contemporary Western society, and Sweden's gender-egalitarian ideology may have a particularly strong legitimising impact on Swedish men's food and cooking practices.

Keywords:

• gastronomy
• social fields
• hegemonic masculinity
• food
• homosociality
• androcentric dividend

Acknowledgements

This article was developed with important contributions from Henrik Berg, previously affiliated with the Centre for Gender Research at Uppsala University. Henrik is no longer with us. You were a wonderful person and scholar. You will be missed.

Notes on contributors

Nicklas Neuman is a PhD student at the Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University. Nicklas has a focus on food and cooking in Critical Studies on Men and Masculinities.

Christina Fjellström is a professor at the Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University. Christina has published widely in research regarding culinary history, ethnology and other aspects on food culture and consumption.