The family meal as an ideal: Children’s perceptions of foodwork and commensality in everyday life and feasts

The present article concerns meals from the point of view of children, focusing on structural and sociocultural aspects of meals in a Western context in general, and Sweden in particular. The aim was to study children's perceptions of meals with regard to what, where and with whom meals are eaten and how meals are made. The method used was an internet‐based, ethnological questionnaire, which is a qualitative method in which participants share their experiences and values regarding a certain topic of interest in writing. A hundred and twelve Swedish children were included. The children almost exclusively chose to write about family meals. These meals were described as well‐structured and organized, and were often portrayed in an idealized way, with family members sharing proper meals at home, spending an enjoyable time together with a nice atmosphere and good conversation. The children made a distinction between everyday meals and festive meals, where the main differences were that festive meals were more prone to include extended family and friends besides the nuclear family, and were described in a more exceptional way with regard to what is served and mealtime conditions. The article concludes that the family meal functioned as a way to construct the family and as a site where children acquire norms and values about meals and family identity, but they did so in an active way, by breaking rules and by challenging norms, thereby also contributing to change. The changing nature of the family meal was also seen in an extended proper meal and the commensal aspects surrounding mealtime, as commensality included both commensal eating and commensal foodwork.     

Use values and exchange values in Marx’s extended reproduction schemes

Abstract

Marx-Engels’ numerical illustrations of the extended reproduction suggest that a two-sector economy reaches a balanced growth path, from the second period onwards. We explain this surprising result and show that for technical reasons, disproportions between sectors can prevent the system from reproducing itself. But, in Marx’s reproduction schemes, such a crisis is not only due to purely technical factors and one must wonder what role is played by the relative price in the reproduction of the system. The answer is given by comparing two models having a similar structure but quite different rules for the determination of the relative price. In Marx’s model, the price is given by the labour values and thus, it is exogenously fixed. We contrast Marx’s analysis with an endogenous price model in which the price depends on the conditions of the accumulation of capital. The Appendices point out the complete accordance of Engels’ corrections with Marx’s model and Marx’s unfruitful quest for a balanced growth path as a tool for the analysis of crises.     

Developing creativity in tourist experiences: A solution to the serial reproduction of culture?

As culture is increasingly utilised as a means of social and economic development, the cultural tourism market is being flooded with new attractions, cultural routes and heritage centres. However, many consumers, tired of encountering the serial reproduction of culture in different destinations are searching for alternatives. The rise of skilled consumption, the importance of identity formation and the acquisition of cultural capital in (post)modern society point towards the use of creativity as an alternative to conventional cultural tourism. This paper considers the development of creative spaces, creative spectacles and creative tourism from the perspective of supply and demand. The need for creativity in developing new products and how to address the challenge of serial reproduction are discussed, and examples of creative tourism projects are examined and contrasted to traditional models of cultural tourism.     

剩余与农业再生产

传统农业是存在剩余的,国家通过将农业的"潜在剩余"强制转移到工业,为国家的工业化提供了必要的原始积累,但也严重影响了农业自身的扩大再生产,阻碍了农村经济的健康发展.虽然农业剩余的转移总量无法具体衡量,但可以从边际的角度就农业剩余的转移对农业再生产的影响进行定量的研究.本文从边际角度分析这种转移对农业再生产的具体影响程度.     

预防为主的方针、计生系统介入和三个目标群体宣传策略：就艾滋病问题的对策建议

旨在就中国的艾滋病预防决策提出建议.在简要介绍瓦塞特性病传播动力学的基础上,介绍了我国目前严峻的艾滋病疫情态势,讨论了如何根据中国转型期社会实际,借鉴詹姆斯·希尔顿的艾滋病预防策略,对艾滋病在全国范围内开展预防为主的方针、计划生育系统的介入和三个目标群体的宣传策略.     

论社会进步的标准

社会进步主要基于公共生活演进的自然逻辑,而非应然的价值观和典章制度。如同"城池"是"社会文明"的最初门槛,社会的先进与落后主要反映在当今大都市的治理体系中。放弃而今流行的各种"两分"标准,着眼于国家在生存竞争中的兴衰,作者以两个前提下的三大标尺去解释和衡量社会形态的先进与落后。两个前提是:先进基础设施的密集程度和国防的强大程度。三大标尺是:维护公共财产及其使用秩序的程度,精算公权使用成本与收益的程度,以及劳动者再生产的社会化/均等化程度。可用三个要素证伪上述理论:能否粘合精英与平民,给较大规模的国家提供较强内聚力;能否对国外群体产生较强吸引力;能否为技术与知识的创造和普及提供较优越的环境。     

旅游纪念品符号化生产与再生产——以美国黄石国家公园纪念品为例

通过在美国黄石国家公园实地调研、网络文本信息搜寻、对同游者以及随机抽取去过该地并购买过纪念品的游客进行现场和网络访谈,发现:旅游纪念品对购买者有着记忆、证明等意义,是经由供给者与购买者两个不同实体,在不同阶段对其符号化意义的生产与再生产;旅游纪念品符号化意义生产过程中,再生产必须以初次生产的成功为基础。也就是说:旅游纪念品供给者和购买者必须首先将旅游纪念品符号化为“旅游目的地形象”,之后,纪念品购买者再基于自身需求符号化为记忆、证明等意义,这一过程是连续的、递进的;纪念品购买者周边的微社会群体对旅游纪念品记忆、证明等意义具有增强作用。     

关于马克思社会再生产的分析方法研究

马克思的扩大再生产分析法是长期动态分析法的雏形。依据马克思的假设条件,用该分析法可以论证积累与消费的平衡关系。马克思的两部类分析模式,对现实经济仍然具有指导作用。     

流动人口空间再造：基于社会地理学视角

流动人口社会空间是原有城市空间底质上经过流动人口的各种实践活动而人格化的空间,是一种再造的空间。首先将流动人口空间再造结果进行归纳,大体有实体空间、行为空间和感应空间三种,具体表现为差异化的空间、隔离的空间、福特制和＂类信息社会＂语境并存下的空间、压缩的空间、弹性的空间、流动的空间、犯罪的空间、压制的空间、再现的空间。其次,借鉴事件史分析法对流动人口空间建构过程开展分析,总体上流动人口社会空间表现为边缘化的空间,这既是自身种种属性特征经过社会化建构过程后的必然结果,也是社会制度歧视、城市政府新自由主义倾向、对城市空间的激烈竞争、企业追逐利润、本地人排挤等共同作用结果。流动人口空间再造的过程也是原有生产关系的再生产过程。最后,面对来自各方的空间压力,流动人口不断进行空间适应性策略调整,不断发展和演化自己与城市之间的关系。     

上天有好生之德

“生生之德”是中国文化的基本精神,“生”的意义不仅仅表现为生命,更表现为生生不息、和谐有序的深层次含义,尤其在儒家的世界观里,宇宙的本质即是生生不息的生命动态过程。中国自古强调“天人合一”的思想,在人与自然的关系中人不仅充分体现出主体性,同时也生发出“民胞物与”的极具包容的博大情怀。天地有四时,人体亦有春夏秋冬,以人道应天道,才是构建人与自然和谐统一的应循之道。