Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Graduate Student, Faculty of Social Sciences

Lecturer

Insitute of Sociology

Thesis Title: How to Eat "Modern"? Fast Food and the West

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How to Eat "Modern"? Fast Food and the West
By:
Stefan Stautner

The famous proverb, ´You are what you eat ´, shows the meaning of eating in the construction of identity. Eating is not only a biological necessity for our existence, but also, and to a large extent, the production and consumption of food play an important role in the construction of identities and social routines. This project aims to research upon how consumers of food construct and actualise in the process of eating, their identities along the concepts of Modernity and the West. By comparing the practices and discourses between Germany and the Middle East I will show how the image of the West is formed in the process of food consumption. As from now, the terms West and Modern could be used in a parallel manner. There are different definitions of these terms in sociology and I do not want to limit my scope on certain parameters that define something as ´modern´. Rather, the perspective of the individual consumer should be considered. What he/she defines as modern or western is of paramount importance for the project. The globalisation of certain foods and eating forms, especially the so-called system- and fast-food, is often taken as a proliferation of (modern) ´western ways`, or rather the American Way of Life. McDonald´s became the symbol for world-wide globalisation and capitalism. This project intends to reveal, how through the process of consumption (or the demonstrative non-consumption) an image of the West and Modernity (and often about America) is formed and individuals construct a ‘modern’ identity in this process. It will also allow us a closer look on modernisation processes worldwide. In the context of globalisation, the increasing consumption and distribution of ready-made food, fast food or convenience-products (like instant noodles) provide the opportunity to perform a certain (western) life style

Keywords: Food, Fast Food, Modernity, Westernization, Orientalism, Ociddentalism

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