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What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field

Author

Listed:
  • Håkan Jönsson

    (Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden)

  • Maxime Michaud

    (Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, 69130 Ecully, France)

  • Nicklas Neuman

    (Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, 751 22 Uppsala, Sweden)

Abstract

Commensality (the act of eating together) is studied in a range of disciplines and often considered important for social communion, order, health and well-being, while simultaneously being understood as in decline (especially the family meal). However, such claims are also contested in various ways. In this paper, we discuss the expanding field of commensality research and critically reflect on the debates surrounding its social functions, including its role in public health. We illuminate the deep social and cultural significance of commensality, through time and space, and conclude that whether or not commensality is the preferred social form of eating for any given individual, it is difficult to escape its sociocultural desirability and idealization. As a cross-cultural phenomenon in both past, present, and future, we suggest that commensality deserves further research. This includes commensality as a research topic in itself and as an entry point to unveil different dimensions of social relations between people, as well as interactions between humans and material objects.

Suggested Citation

  • Håkan Jönsson & Maxime Michaud & Nicklas Neuman, 2021. "What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:12:p:6235-:d:571625
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amanda Björnwall & Ylva Mattsson Sydner & Afsaneh Koochek & Nicklas Neuman, 2021. "Eating Alone or Together among Community-Living Older People—A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-42, March.
    2. Henrik Scander & Agneta Yngve & Maria Lennernäs Wiklund, 2021. "Assessing Commensality in Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Henrik Scander & Maria Lennernäs Wiklund & Agneta Yngve, 2021. "Assessing Time of Eating in Commensality Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Fairley Le Moal & Maxime Michaud & Carol Anne Hartwick-Pflaum & Georgia Middleton & Isabelle Mallon & John Coveney, 2021. "Beyond the Normative Family Meal Promotion: A Narrative Review of Qualitative Results about Ordinary Domestic Commensality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-23, March.
    5. Francesc-Xavier Medina, 2021. "Looking for Commensality: On Culture, Health, Heritage, and the Mediterranean Diet," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-9, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Maína Ribeiro Pereira-Castro & Adriano Gomes Pinto & Tamila Raposo Caixeta & Renata Alves Monteiro & Ximena Pamela Díaz Bermúdez & Ana Valéria Machado Mendonça, 2022. "Digital Forms of Commensality in the 21st Century: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Carmen Cipriano-Crespo & Francesc-Xavier Medina & Lorenzo Mariano-Juárez, 2022. "Culinary Solitude in the Diet of People with Functional Diversity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-13, March.

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