Routledge Social Aspects of Obesity: 1 (Culture and Ecology of Food and Nutrition,)

This collection of essays examines obesity not as an objective medical or psychological problem, but as a subjective social and cultural phenomenon. The contributors take a cross-cultural perspective, examining both the negative casting of obesity in developed countries and the traditional view of obesity as a positive characteristic in subsistence societies which is threatened by the dominance of Western culture. Review 'Usage of the terms obesity and fatness is important, since, taken collectively, the authors present, among other things, a cross-cultural overview of perceptions of obesity, fatness and large body size, desirable body image, health and healthiness, and the impact of modernization on all of these.' - From Stanley J. Ulijaszek's epilogue 'Social Aspects of Obesity: A Critique'