New Books in Sociology Tina Sikka, "Health Apps, Genetic Diets and Superfoods: When Biopolitics Meets Neoliberalism" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
Apr 5, 2024
Tina Sikka discusses the impact of health apps, genetic diets, and superfoods on gender, race, and class. She criticizes the dietary-genomic-functional food industrial complex and advocates for a community-based, food-secure health culture. The podcast explores the intersection of science, climate change, and health, challenges hegemonic health ideals, and delves into the political economy of personalized diets. It also examines superfoods' cultural implications and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding health and bodies.
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Book's Context
- The book analyzes health technologies like apps, examining foods and superfoods within a historical context.
- It considers how modern health concepts evolved under neoliberalism, austerity, and privatization.
Research Methods
- Tina Sikka uses mixed methods, including autoethnography, to study digital media and its discussions on health.
- She also considers the kitchen and the body itself as research sites.
Theoretical Framework
- Sikka's work is intersectional, examining how gender, race, and class intersect with health.
- Her theoretical framework includes critical discourse analysis and new materialism.