Devouring and Being Devoured: Sociology of Food and its Post-Capitalist Critique in Art.

Abstract

From a discussion centered on Arts-Based Research (ABR), a critical reflection is made on how capitalist structures of domination are manifested in food consumption practices. In turn, the dynamics of exploitation and subordination inherent to the globalized economic model are explored, proposing that the act of devouring and being devoured, both in its physical and symbolic dimensions, illustrates the reciprocity of these processes within the capitalist system. From the IBA, this process can be analyzed through artistic interventions that highlight the ways in which capitalism transforms food into symbols of status or identity. An installation showing the colonial history of a food, from its origin to its transformation into a gourmet product, allows us to explore how food objects are imposed as representations of cultural and economic power. The act of consumption thus becomes an act of acceptance of a symbolic hierarchy, in which certain cultures and their foods are valued over others.