Synopses & Reviews
Food is now a massive international undertaking, and this new textbook provides a broad introduction, encompassing economics, cultural studies, and geography. It can be used in a wide range of courses, from economics to food science to political science and postmodern studies of cultural attitudes. The first part of the book focuses on the political economy of food and traces the supply chain from production to point of sale. It highlights the increasing impact of capitalism on each stage of the process. The second part examines global issues in supply and demand, including famine, world patterns of food aid, and the related geopolitics. The third part is devoted to political ecology and the environmental issues related to food production and consumption. It describes in detail two of the most contentious recent issues, Mad Cow Disease and genetically modified foods. The final section provides a survey of food consumption around the world, including taste preferences, food habits, beliefs, and taboos.
Synopsis
Who can deny the significance of food? It has a central role in our health and pleasure as well as in our economy, politics and culture. Food in Society provides a social science perspective on food systems and demonstrates the rich variety of disciplinary and theoretical contexts of food studies.While hunger and malnutrition remain a reality in many countries, for some food has become an experience rather than a sustenance. This book addresses the different worldwide understandings of food through thematic chapters and a wide range of material including: description of the political economy of the food chain, from production to the point of sale; analysis of global issues of supply and demand; critical debate of environmental and health aspects of food, including GM food, the role of habits, taboos, age and gender in food consumption.Each chapter contains a guide to further reading and to websites of relevance to food. Extensively illustrated, this book is essential reading for students of food studies in the social sciences and humanities.
Synopsis
Despite the public desire for a magic bullet--a drug that cures the ailment and is easy to take--most drugs require a sustained release to the target area as opposed to a burst, hence the need for controlled release devices. This volume devotes separate sections to current work in each of the
key aspects for developing these devices, including the route of administration, drug delivery vehicles, drug targeting, and modulated drug delivery.
About the Author
Peter Atkins is a professor at the University of Durham, and
Ian Bowler is a professor at the University of Leicester.