The limits of discipline: Towards interdisciplinary food studies

While the number of scholars working on the broad topic of food has never been greater, the topic is still divided among numerous disciplines and specialists who do not often communicate with each other. This paper discusses some of the deep differences between disciplinary approaches, and concludes that food scientists differ in some of their basic assumptions about human nature. After outlining some of the institutional issues standing in the way of interdisciplinary work, the paper argues for a more synthetic and empirical approach, grounded in the study of everyday life. True interdisciplinary collaboration will have to go beyond assembling multidisciplinary teams. Instead we must accept the limitations of the classic disciplinary paradigms, and be willing to question and test our methods and assumptions.

► Existing disciplinary boundaries have obstructed our understanding diet and food choice.
► There are fundamental differences between disciplines in the way they conceive of human nature.
► An empirical focus on the role food plays in daily life can lead to new ideas and findings.
► A new interdisciplinary field of food studies remains at a very early stage of development.