Activity Time! (Part 1)
In class, you've been reading and writing about topics related to all things food: food justice, public health, community gardening and food access, food and identity, and beyond! For this first activity, think about some of the content you have been reading in class.
Step 1: Think about a few key words or subject terms you would use to describe the topics you have discussed and read in this course.
Step 2: Around the room, you'll notice a few books related to food issues and topics. Take a few minutes to look through these books and come up with a few additional key words or subject terms that you would use to describe the content of these books.
When you're ready, scan this QR code and enter your keywords!
General Reference Sources
Tertiary sources are general reference sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, and other broader sources that you can use to ground your research in foundational concepts, themes, and ideas! They are a great resource if you aren't sure where to start with your research.
Encyclopedia of Food by Entries range from 250 to 10,000 words each and are supplemented by 400 photographs and illustrations, sidebars, recipes, menus, timelines, and a comprehensive index. Available online and in print.The Oxford Companion to Food by
Publication Date: 2014Both an exhaustive catalogue of foods and commentary on the culture of food.
The Cambridge World History of Food by ISBN: 9780521402156Publication Date: 1999-07-01Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional make-up and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues by ISBN: 9781452243016Publication Date: 2015-05-08The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues explores the topic of food across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and related areas including business, consumerism, marketing, and environmentalism.
Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America by Over 200 encyclopedia entries on the American history of food. Also includes bibliographic information. Available online and in print.
Exploring the Library Catalogue
Useful Guides and Subject Headings
Secondary Sources: Articles & Literature
Secondary sources include scholarly articles, periodicals and news publications, and other information sources that draw together information from original research, research conducted by others, or from multiple perspectives.
Find Scholarly Articles:
- MLA International Bibliography
- Humanities International Index
- Sociology Source Ultimate
- Project MUSE
- JSTOR
Find News Articles:
Digital Collections:
Images
For resources on finding stock images, using and citing art and photographs, and how to find images at Cornell, refer to our Library Guide on visual resources:
Activity 2: Mapping Food Topics!
Now that you've had a chance to review some different library resources and search strategies, we're going to practice finding research materials related to a food topic that interests you! For this activity, choose a food. This could be a fruit or vegetable, a canned good, a cultural food or recipe, a fast food item, etc.
Using the library catalogue, reference sources, databases, images, digital collections, or any other resource we've discussed today, find a few books, articles, topics, or other sources about this food item. Then, using the Google JamBoard linked below, create a "topic map" on this food item.
Use images, words, citations, or other content you find to brainstorm and map out ideas on what issues you might write about in relation to this food item. What research questions do you have about this food? Is this food attached to any important historic or cultural events? Where does it come from? How is it prepared? How does it reach the supermarket? These are just a few ideas of questions to ask as you find resources.
Further Reading
Everybody Eats by ISBN: 9780520314238Publication Date: 2021-08-31Everybody Eats tells the story of food justice in Greensboro, North Carolina--a midsized city in the southern United States. The city's residents found themselves in the middle of conversations about food insecurity and justice when they reached the top of the Food Research and Action Center's list of major cities experiencing food hardship. Greensboro's local food communities chose to confront these high rates of food insecurity by engaging neighborhood voices, mobilizing creative resources at the community level, and sustaining conversations across the local food system. Within three short years of reaching the peak of FRAC's list, Greensboro saw an 8 percent drop in its food hardship rate and moved from first to fourteenth in FRAC's list. Using eight case studies of food justice activism--from urban farms to mobile farmers markets, shared-used kitchens to food policy councils--Everybody Eats highlights the importance of communication and communicating social justice in building the kinds of infrastructure needed to create secure and just food systems.
An Edible History of Humanity by ISBN: 1843546345Publication Date: 2009More than simply sustenance, food historically has been a kind of technology, changing the course of human progress by helping to build empires, promote industrialization, and decide the outcomes of wars. Tom Standage draws on archaeology, anthropology, and economics to reveal how food has helped shape and transform societies around the world, from the emergence of farming in China by 7500 b.c. to the use of sugar cane and corn to make ethanol today. An Edible History of Humanity is a fully satisfying account of human history.
Sweetness and Power by ISBN: 1101666641Publication Date: 1985A fascinating persuasive history of how sugar has shaped the world, from European colonies to our modern diets In this eye-opening study, Sidney Mintz shows how Europeans and Americans transformed sugar from a rare foreign luxury to a commonplace necessity of modern life, and how it changed the history of capitalism and industry. He discusses the production and consumption of sugar, and reveals how closely interwoven are sugar's origins as a "slave" crop grown in Europe's tropical colonies with is use first as an extravagant luxury for the aristocracy, then as a staple of the diet of the new industrial proletariat. Finally, he considers how sugar has altered work patterns, eating habits, and our diet in modern times.
Like Water for Chocolate by ISBN: 0385420161Publication Date: 1992-09-06Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother's womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares special points of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.
The sixteen-dollar taco contested geographies of food, ethnicity, and gentrification by ISBN: 9780295749297Publication Date: 2021Drawing on extensive fieldwork, geographer Pascale Joassart-Marcelli traces the transformation of three urban San Diego neighborhoods whose foodscapes are shifting from serving the needs of longtime minoritized residents who face limited food access to pleasing the tastes of wealthier and whiter newcomers. The $16 Taco illustrates how food can both emplace and displace immigrants, shedding light on the larger process of gentrification and the emotional, cultural, economic, and physical displacement it produces.
Engaged Learning Librarian
Giving Credit & Citation Justice
Just as it's important to draw on information from a variety of sources in your research, it's also important to consider who you're citing in your work. Citation matters because it shows your credibility as a researcher, gives credit to others in your field, and elevates the voices of other researchers contributing to a particular body of work.
To effectively practice citation, it's important to consider citation justice, or the act of citing authors based on identify to uplift marginalized voices with the knowledge that citation is used as a form of power in a patriarchal society based on white supremacy. To practice citation justice, here are a few things to consider:
- Ask yourself: Whose research is this? Whose interests does it serve? Who is framing its scope? How is this research disseminated?
- If there is a gap in information or a particular voice missing from your references, address that gap in your writing!
- Practice "auditing": when you have compiled a list of references, take time to evaluate the range of authors or creators you cite in your research.
Cornell has many citation tools and guides to help you!
ZoteroBib is a basic citation generator to help you create a works cited list.
Our subject guides on citation styles are a great reference depending on the citation style you will use in your work.
For additional help with citation format, in-text citations, and related information, Excelsior Writing Lab is an excellent online resource where you can find more information about citation.
Get Help
Ask your questions in person, by phone, by e-mail, text, IM or chat.
Reference Desk Directory
Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144
Olin & Uris Libraries Reference e-mail address: okuref@cornell.edu
Request a Research Consultation This is a one-on-one meeting with a librarian to work through the research strategy and sources for a particular topic such as a thesis. Typically lasts at least one hour.
Land Acknowledgement
Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.
This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' leadership.