Abstract
This article presents an account of food citizenship based on a governmentality framework. Moving beyond the dichotomy of democratic or neoliberal accounts of food citizenship, a food governmentality framework is presented. This Foucaultian inspired framework conceptualises food citizenship as identity formation in relation to various modes of power that govern food systems and subjects in significantly different ways. The article empirically illustrates how food citizenship relates to food governmentality by focussing on the food-related activities of a Transition Town initiative in the Netherlands (The Hague) called <em>Den Haag In Transitie </em>(DHIT). By defining food as a community issue, and employing holistic-spiritual and collaborative knowledge, food citizens in the DHIT case render sustainable food systems governable in radically new ways. I argue that this type of citizenship can be considered <em>neo-communitarian</em> food citizenship and moves beyond democratic or neoliberal accounts. Finally, the article reflects on neo-communitarian citizenship and argues for a nuanced understanding of food citizenship, moving away from either democratic romanticism or neoliberal criticism.
Highlights
Today, an increasing number of citizens are challenging agro-industrial food systems
By providing a more critical understanding of food citizenship, it sketched a different image of food citizenship, and how it relates to food democracy
The food governmentality framework proves to be quite fruitful in characterising how food citizenship relates to food governance, beyond democratic and neoliberal conceptions of food citizenship
Summary
An increasing number of citizens are challenging agro-industrial food systems. Politics and Governance, 2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages 190–201 critique paints a fundamentally different picture of what food citizenship entails in relation to the creation of sustainable food systems. This article discusses these opposing accounts of food citizenship and presents a different conception of food citizenship, based on a governmentality framework. It does so by critically assessing two food citizenship frames: (1) an emancipatory democratic one; and (2) a self-management oriented neoliberal one. The article reflects on neo-communitarian citizenship and argues for a nuanced understanding of food citizenship, moving away from either democratic romanticism or neoliberal criticism
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