Subjective reasoning and chemical composition are not the sole arbiters of our systems of alimentary taste; consumption of food is also defined by cultural orientation and other complex value systems. There are those who choose to consume only plant matter to respect the rights of animals, equally there are those who consume pets without a second thought. What informs these choices depends on how we understand our own place in the world, the values we attribute to the things that surrounds us, the relationships we maintain with our fellow beings and those with living things in general. It is in the space between those variable definitions that we find food taboos and the complex stories which entwine around them. Above all else comes cannibalism, present today not only as a hypothetical act in which only the wildest savages could take part but also as the basis of varying forms of current communication. Cannibalism is at work in advertising and in television programs, in modern rituals and in unconventional marketing campaigns. In this paper we will attempt to explain its meaning in connection with the more general way of how to catalogue and understand the consumption of food.

Giannitrapani, A. (2018). To Eat or Not to Eat? A Short Path from Vegetarianism to Cannibalism. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE SEMIOTICS OF LAW, 31(3), 531-560 [10.1007/s11196-018-9570-0].

To Eat or Not to Eat? A Short Path from Vegetarianism to Cannibalism

Giannitrapani, Alice
2018-01-01

Abstract

Subjective reasoning and chemical composition are not the sole arbiters of our systems of alimentary taste; consumption of food is also defined by cultural orientation and other complex value systems. There are those who choose to consume only plant matter to respect the rights of animals, equally there are those who consume pets without a second thought. What informs these choices depends on how we understand our own place in the world, the values we attribute to the things that surrounds us, the relationships we maintain with our fellow beings and those with living things in general. It is in the space between those variable definitions that we find food taboos and the complex stories which entwine around them. Above all else comes cannibalism, present today not only as a hypothetical act in which only the wildest savages could take part but also as the basis of varying forms of current communication. Cannibalism is at work in advertising and in television programs, in modern rituals and in unconventional marketing campaigns. In this paper we will attempt to explain its meaning in connection with the more general way of how to catalogue and understand the consumption of food.
2018
Giannitrapani, A. (2018). To Eat or Not to Eat? A Short Path from Vegetarianism to Cannibalism. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE SEMIOTICS OF LAW, 31(3), 531-560 [10.1007/s11196-018-9570-0].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Giannitrapani2018_Article_ToEatOrNotToEatAShortPathFromV.pdf

Solo gestori archvio

Descrizione: articolo in rivista
Tipologia: Versione Editoriale
Dimensione 5.25 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
5.25 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/330489
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 3
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 3
social impact