Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography
Reflecting on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) account of obesity and recent developments in ethnography, I advocate for a collaborative, multiauthor approach to studying obesity and, more broadly, chronic disease. To illustrate this, I show how recent ethnographies of obesity and metabolism ha...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Edinburgh Library
2018-12-01
|
| Series: | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4901 |
| _version_ | 1819295203646767104 |
|---|---|
| author | Elliott Michael Reichardt |
| author_facet | Elliott Michael Reichardt |
| author_sort | Elliott Michael Reichardt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reflecting on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) account of obesity and recent developments in ethnography, I advocate for a collaborative, multiauthor approach to studying obesity and, more broadly, chronic disease. To illustrate this, I show how recent ethnographies of obesity and metabolism have convincingly challenged and reframed the WHO’s account of obesity. I further suggest that future ethnographic studies of obesity (and chronic disease) could expand their analytical scope – without sacrificing a critical and people-centred approach – through coordination and collaboration. A multiauthor approach to obesity research would increase the capacity of ethnography to demonstrate the many conditions that must be fulfilled for a person to become ‘obese’, productively foregrounding how ‘obesity’ emerges out of a web of social, economic, political, chemical, and historical connections. This would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the uneven emergence of obesity (and other chronic diseases) worldwide. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:38:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27ca7b9b2e684ea88e25d7277de6d228 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-691X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:38:29Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Edinburgh Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| spelling | doaj.art-27ca7b9b2e684ea88e25d7277de6d2282022-12-21T17:14:58ZengUniversity of Edinburgh LibraryMedicine Anthropology Theory2405-691X2018-12-015510.17157/mat.5.5.6374901Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnographyElliott Michael ReichardtReflecting on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) account of obesity and recent developments in ethnography, I advocate for a collaborative, multiauthor approach to studying obesity and, more broadly, chronic disease. To illustrate this, I show how recent ethnographies of obesity and metabolism have convincingly challenged and reframed the WHO’s account of obesity. I further suggest that future ethnographic studies of obesity (and chronic disease) could expand their analytical scope – without sacrificing a critical and people-centred approach – through coordination and collaboration. A multiauthor approach to obesity research would increase the capacity of ethnography to demonstrate the many conditions that must be fulfilled for a person to become ‘obese’, productively foregrounding how ‘obesity’ emerges out of a web of social, economic, political, chemical, and historical connections. This would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the uneven emergence of obesity (and other chronic diseases) worldwide.http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4901obesitypolitical ecologyethnographic theorymedical anthropologymethodology |
| spellingShingle | Elliott Michael Reichardt Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography Medicine Anthropology Theory obesity political ecology ethnographic theory medical anthropology methodology |
| title | Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| title_full | Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| title_fullStr | Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| title_short | Relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| title_sort | relocating obesity with multiauthor ethnography |
| topic | obesity political ecology ethnographic theory medical anthropology methodology |
| url | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4901 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elliottmichaelreichardt relocatingobesitywithmultiauthorethnography |