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Food Justice

This research guide compiles resources on equitable and sustainable food systems, including articles, books, and data sources, enabling in-depth exploration of food justice.

How to Get Started in Food Justice Research

Food Justice is an interdisciplinary topic, covering a lot of different subjects, including Agriculture, Landscape Architecture, Economics, Sociology, History, Legal Studies, and Political Science.

  • Reference Materials: there are a number of reports and annotated bibliographies on food justice that provide excellent contextualizing information and resources for research into food justice.
  • Bates ScholarshipMany students at Bates have researched food justice. There are a number of projects that have specialized in local solutions to food justice, conducting community-engaged research projects in Auburn-Lewiston.
  • Finding Research on Food Justice in LibrarySearch: Interdisciplinary research often requires an understanding of synonyms and academic keywords.
  • Documentaries and Films can also be excellent places to find research and learn about food justice and food issues.

Select Books on Food Justice

Black food : stories, art & recipes from across the African diaspora / edited & curated by Bryant Terry ; photographs by Oriana Koren.

Black food : stories, art & recipes from across the African diaspora / edited & curated by Bryant Terry ; photographs by Oriana Koren.

MLK Day Keynote Speaker Bryant Terry captures the broad and divergent voices of the African Diaspora through the prism of food. More than a cookbook, this book is a communal shrine to the shared cultural history of the African diaspora...

 No meat required : the cultural history and culinary future of plant-based eating / Alicia Kennedy.

No meat required : the cultural history and culinary future of plant-based eating / Alicia Kennedy.

Join us for a live Zoom lecture with the author on MLK Day, more details to come!

 

Reference Materials on Food Justice

These encyclopedic entries on Food Justice can be used to gain background knowledge and context to the topic, including specific perspectives from Latinx, Black, and Feminist scholars on food security and justice.

Bates Scholarship on Food Justice

Food justice has been of interest to Bates scholars and students for years. Check out these links for more information on research done by Bates-affiliated scholars:

Select Films on Food Justice

Gather (2020)

Gather (2020)

Indigenous Americans are actively reclaiming their spiritual and cultural identities by seeking sovereignty over their ancestral food systems, grappling with the enduring impact of centuries of genocide-induced historical trauma.

Eating our way to extinction (2021)

Eating our way to extinction (2021)

A compelling documentary unveils the unspoken issue with searing insight, challenging viewers to question choices, industry, and governments in an entertaining yet confrontational manner. Narrated by Kate Winslet.

SunĂº: Mexican Maize Farmers (2015)

SunĂº: Mexican Maize Farmers (2015)

Through the perspectives of Mexican maize producers, SUNÚ intricately weaves together diverse narratives from a jeopardized rural world, capturing the determination of individuals to maintain freedom, cultivate their seeds, uphold cultural and spiritual practices, all within a modern context where corn faces threats at its origin in Mexico.

From the Land to Your Table: Produce Markets Across Different Latin Countries (2011)

From the Land to Your Table: Produce Markets Across Different Latin Countries (2011)

This documentary explores popular produce markets in seven countries through the unique perspectives of Ibero-American filmmakers. Each segment, with its distinct style, unveils captivating stories of foods, people, and diverse socioeconomic conditions.

Growing Cities: Examining the Role of Urban Farming in America (2013)

Growing Cities: Examining the Role of Urban Farming in America (2013)

This documentary reveals the inspiring tales of American urban farmers, from rooftop cultivators to backyard beekeepers, challenging conventional food growth and distribution.

 Edible City: Local Food Systems (2014)

Edible City: Local Food Systems (2014)

This film introduces extraordinary characters challenging the broken food system. This fast-paced journey explores the Good Food Movement, spotlighting diverse perspectives and transformative work addressing monumental problems with hopeful solutions.

Look & see : a portrait of Wendell Berry (2017)

Look & see : a portrait of Wendell Berry (2017)

A portrait of farmer and writer Wendell Berry unveils changing rural landscapes in the industrial agriculture era and the redemptive beauty found in choosing the unworn path.

Seed : the untold story (2016)

Seed : the untold story (2016)

Seeds, revered since ancient times, are vital yet threatened. Over the last century, 94% of varieties vanished. In a David and Goliath battle, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and Indigenous seed keepers fight for our food's future.

The garden (2009)

The garden (2009)

The expansive 41st and Alameda community garden, the largest in the U.S., emerged as a healing response to the 1992 L.A. riots. Despite feeding families and fostering community, bulldozers threaten its existence.

Humanities Librarian

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Marianne Williams
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Contact:
Ladd Library 131
(207) 786-8323
mwillia8@bates.edu

I am usually at the Research Desk Mon. 6-9, Tues. 1-4, and Wed. 10-1