Nutritional Imperialism: A China-Centered History of Modern Dietary Knowledge

FAIN: FT-291278-23

Hilary Allison Smith
University of Denver (Denver, CO 80210-4711)

Research and writing leading to a book on the role of Western nutrition science in China from the early twentieth-century to the present, and the alternatives offered by Chinese traditions.

This book project views the history of nutrition science through a Chinese lens, from the early twentieth century to the present. It introduces “nutritional imperialism,” which presents as a universal standard dietary advice based on Euro American eating patterns and bodies. The book explores four historical examples of how this perspective made Chinese diets and bodies seem inferior. It shows how Chinese figures variously participated in and resisted this ideology, and highlights alternative ideas from Chinese traditions. Sources, mostly Chinese, include scientists’ publications, national and international dietary guidelines, advertisements, and essays in periodicals and popular books.