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

Håkan Jönsson, Maxime Michaud and Nicklas Neuman
Additional contact information
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

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-17

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.

Keywords: commensality; meal sharing; eating together (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/12/6235/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/12/6235/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:12:p:6235-:d:571625

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().