Exploring the Politics of Possibility [review of Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice and Politics]

Authors

  • Rachael Kennedy Virginia Tech

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2015.052.001

Keywords:

Alternative Food Network, AFN

Abstract

First paragraphs:

After 40-plus years of visioning and planning, are the basic tenets of the food movements, such as reconfiguration of capitalist society, relocalization, social justice, and sustainability, still credible? Further, will more progress be made if we critically outline the failings of activist projects and force a reckoning, or should more purchase be given to highlighting socially progressive efforts created by food movements as a way to stimulate momentum? These are the questions I ponder into the wee hours of the night. These are the questions my monthly sustainable foods community of practice salons chew on. These are the questions Goodman, Dupuis, and Goodman ask. Perhaps these questions resonate with you.

It was with great anticipation that I bought Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice and Politics as soon as it was released in paperback (2013). David Goodman, E. Melanie Dupuis, and Michael Goodman are noted agri-food systems scholars with a penchant for pushing the lines of inquiry toward increasingly substantive discourse and for clarifying the murkiness of relatively neglected aspects of the food system. I fully expected to find a book striking a balance between critical evaluation and constructive analysis—and I was not disappointed...

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Rachael Kennedy, Virginia Tech

Rachael E. Kennedy is a doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech. She researches community resiliency through the lens of sociological aspects of food systems both domestic and international. Prior to this research focus, she advanced community coalition endeavors toward public health issues for 13 years.
Cover of "Alternative Food Networks"

Published

2015-01-15

How to Cite

Kennedy, R. (2015). Exploring the Politics of Possibility [review of Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice and Politics]. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 5(2), 205–207. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2015.052.001