Food, Power, and Globalization in Samoa
Jim Bindon, and anthropologist from the University of Alabama wrote an article about the effect of globalization (regional economies, societies, and cultures becoming integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade) on Samoan diet and health. His findings detail how the introduction of imported foods and a resulted shift in power have resulted in a "subsequent epidemic of obesity among Samoans."*
Before the Samoans had contact with Europeans they survived by fishing and farming. Power was held by the chiefs, which was "validated and emphasized by food production, preparation, and eating"* within the village. Samoans had direct entitlement (culturally defined right to provide for one's life needs directly), and only relied on the other village members.
In the 19th century, traders brought in new foods, and "food preferences and practices began to change and the beginnings of globalization laid the roots for the corruption of the relationship between food and power."* Tinned meats, fish, and flour were brought in by the Europeans, and adapted into the diets of Samoans. This propelled the people to abandon traditional ways, and as they developed a dependance on imported foods they also became unwilling to resume their traditional ways. No longer did they have direct entitlement, but they moved into the realm of indirect entitlement (relying on exchanging something in order to obtain that which is needed for survival) and a monetized economy (using money for exchange, as opposed to other goods).
With all this new food calorie intake decreased, but so did their need for as many calories, and they ended up consuming far more calories than they needed, resulting in obesity.
With the increasing globalization, there was also a shift in power and status, as education became more highly valued. This also moved reliance from family production of foods (no more time to grow produce, raise animals, or hunt), to reliance on markets and fast food, also increasing caloric intake.
I find this interesting, because it wasn't just the change in diet that influenced the food traditions of a culture, but the change in diet transformed a culture completely. It shows just how the meddling of one group of people really does have a profound effect on those they come into contact with (especially Western culture, because of it's apparent persistence and ethnocentric ideas).
* Bindon's article can be found at http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/bindon/Food%20and%20Power%20in%20Samoa.pdf
key concepts used: direct entitlement, indirect entitlement, monetized economy
photo found at http://www.enabler.demon.co.uk/roast-pig.jpg
Very interesting! You say that the Samoans subsisted by "fishing and farming", but you might have also mentioned something about the photo showing a pig. Is there any indication of how much protein there was in the original Samoan diet? Often it seems that protein consumption decreases substantially with reliance on outside food sources; increasing obesity can be a sign of a carbohydrate-intensive diet, among other things.
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