Food Education and Rural Resilience in Japan: Nourishing National Identity

Description:

Food education initiatives exist worldwide, but Japan remains unique with its food education law known as shokuiku. Using Foucault's concept of governmentality, historical contextualization, and extensive fieldwork in rural Japan, this study reveals the complex political agenda driving food education in a non-Western society.

Review Quotes: "Assmann demonstrates how Japan's 'food education' (shokuiku) campaigns do more than promote healthy eating but respond to manifold problems including the country's low food self-sufficiency rate, the decline of rural communities, and natural disasters. Her book is essential reading for understanding the connections between food and politics in modern Japan."
- Eric C. Rath, University of Kansas

"Stephanie Assmann's meticulous research sheds new light on the ways in which food education in Japan has been a powerful force in shaping national identity and revitalizing rural communities. This groundbreaking study provides essential insights for all those with an interest in Japanese food studies, cultural politics, and rural sociology."
- Jon Morris, Daito Bunka University