Illness, Identity, and Taboo among Australian Paleo Dieters

This book explores the cultural and economic conditions fuelling the popularity of the polarizing Paleo diet in Australia. Based on ethnographic research in Melbourne and Sydney, Catie Gressier recounts the compelling narratives of individuals struggling with illness and weight issues. She argues that 'going Paleo' provides a sense of agency and means of resistance to the neoliberal policies and practices underpinning the growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases. From its nostalgic constructions of the past, to the rise of anti-elite sentiments inherent in new forms of health populism, Gressier provides a nuanced understanding of the Paleo diet's contemporary appeal.

List of contents

1. Identity and Taboo among Paleo Dieters.- 2. Beleaguered Bodies: Illness and Obesity in Neoliberal Australia.- 3. Narratives of Paleo Redemption: Agency, Resistance and the Rise of Populism in Health.- 4. The Promise and Pitfalls of Paleo.

About the author

Catie Gressier is a cultural anthropologist and McArthur Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne, Australia. With a focus on settler societies, foodways, and the environment, her first book At Home in the Okavango explores belonging among the white citizens of Botswana.

Product details

• Authors: Catie Gressier
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2018
• EAN: 9783319672496
• ISBN: 978-3-31-967249-6
• No. of pages: 136
• Dimensions: 154 mm x 14 mm x 219 mm
• Weight: 290 g
• Illustrations: IX, 136 p.
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Miscellaneous; C, Kulturwissenschaften, Cultural Studies, Nutrition, Ethnology, Social Sciences, Social Anthropology, Sociocultural Anthropology, Foodways, Symbolic functions