The Food Question in the Middle East

Book excerpt: In recent years, the food question has been a central concern for politicians, economists, international organizations, activists and NGOs alike, as well as social scientists at large. This interest has emerged from the global food crisis and its impact on the environment and the political economy and security of the global south, as well as the expansion of scholarly studies relating food issues to agrarian questions with the objective of developing theoretical frameworks that would allow for a critical analysis of the current food issues at historical, cultural, social, political and economic levels. In this context, Cairo Papers organized its 2016 symposium around the food question in the Middle East. Papers in this collection address the food question from both its food and agricultural aspects, and approach it as the site of political and economic conflicts, as the means of sociocultural control and distinction, and as the expression of national and ethnic identities. Contributors: Ellis Goldberg, Saker ElNour, Hala Barakat, Khaled Mansour, Malak S. Rouchdy, Habib Ayeb, Christian Handerson, Sara Pozzi, and Sara El-Sayed.