ASSMANN STEPHANIE

<p>This review provides an overview of research trends on culinary heritage in Asia. The first objective is to trace a shift from the appreciation of a Western tangible cultural heritage to the recognition of non-Western intangible cultural heritage, which has underlined the prominence of food as a marker for culinary nationalism or gastronationalism (DeSoucey, 2010). Asian nations promote their culinary heritage in competitive ways. The second objective is to examine the construction of a culinary heritage on regional levels through four different case studies on China and Japan. The third objective is to showcase a rich body of research in English that has emerged in response to new forms of culinary nationalism and has emphasized the analysis of food as a powerful tool for understanding politics and international relations. This review finds that the objective of heritagization on the global level often constitutes nation branding. In contrast, culinary heritage construction on regional levels may occur for various reasons, such as branding a regional specialty, providing economic opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs, or maintaining historical bonds between a diasporic community and their town of origin.</p>

In recent years, the number of food safety incidents in East Asia has led to increased concerns about threats to food safety in the region. Indeed, following the 2008 melamine scandal in China and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident in Japan, these concerns are now at unprecedented levels. This article presents an overview of research in social and cultural anthropology, sociology and area studies on food safety and food sovereignty in China (excluding Taiwan) and Japan. One research area captures emerging research on consumer education initiatives and environmental networks that provide guidelines to food preparation skills and food choices. A second research area addresses providence and efforts of culinary heritage preservation that are linked to national identity building and revitalization, in particular in economically disadvantaged areas. As anthropologist Sidney Cheung has argued, recent trends in research on food have shifted from an analysis of food as a marker of social status towards environmental and health issues that are not linked to social status and have an impact on all consumers.

The kimono plays a marginalized role in contemporary society, but continues to be worn on festive occasions. In this article I explore the role of the kimono from several angles. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with members of two organizations, I examine two diametrically opposed approaches towards the kimono in order to provide an insight on how differently it is being reinvented in Japanese society. I will identify four areas in which the kimono is being kept alive in Japan. First, I argue that the kimono is related to consumption. Not only does the purchase of the garment itself involve consumption, but the training of how to wear a kimono is also related to consumption of education and experience. Conventional approaches towards the kimono that emphasize manners and etiquette coexist with innovative approaches that experiment with age and gender boundaries. Secondly, mastering the art of the kimono can be interpreted as a form of cultural capital whereby the kimono fulfills a role in social distinction. Thirdly, I argue that wearing a kimono has become an expression of collective individualism that is often embedded in group activities. I conclude that the kimono has become a communicative symbol to convey an individual attitude towards societal conventions and national identity.