The Political Ecology Network conference (POLLEN24)

Description

From ‘mock’ to ‘plant-based’ meat: changing veg*n foodways in the Sino-cultural sphere

Although Chinese veg*n cuisine has pioneered meat replacement practices and technologies through soybean and gluten innovations for centuries, a renewed interest has arisen in tandem with a ‘future foods’ narrative advanced by contemporary plant-based food products. This development coincides with the rise of ‘new’ ethical, climate, and health motivated veganism promoted by a younger generation of advocates involved in mainstreaming vegan food and lifestyles. In view of these interconnected processes, this paper posits that novel plant-based meats are involved in a process of ‘translation’ on two levels: material and semiotic. Materially, it discusses how technologies transform plant proteins into ‘meat’. Semiotically, it explores how these new meats and their advocates capture a vision of foods and diets ‘of the future’. Hence, this paper foregrounds the ontological transformation underlying veg*n foodways and the role of technology in this process where such diets go from ‘meatless’ religious practice to embody new moralities that are animal-friendly, environmental, and forward-looking.

Period	2024 Jun 10
Event type	Conference
Location	Lund, SwedenShow on map