Abstract
The aim of this paper is to begin to examine the emergence of Farmers' Markets (FM) in the UK. It is suggested that FM represent a new type of 'consumption space' within the contemporary British foodscape, one which may be read as a heterotopic convergence of localist, moral, ethical and environmental discourses, mediated by networks of producers, consumers and institutions. Based on a preliminary analysis of some of the discourses employed by these actors, it is argued that FM can be understood simultaneously as 'conservative' and 'alternative' spaces. 'Conservative' in that they encapsulate a reactionary valorization of the local, linking localness to the ideas of quality, health and rurality, and 'alternative' in that they represent a diversifying rural economy arising in response to the difficulties being experienced by some UK farmers and a more general perception of a countryside under threat. Initial evidence from a pilot case study in Stratford-upon-Avon is used to support these suggestions and propose directions for future research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 285-299 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Sociologia Ruralis |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2000 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
Cite this
Reading the space of the farmers' market : A preliminary investigation from the UK. / Holloway, L.; Kneafsey, M.
In: Sociologia Ruralis, Vol. 40, No. 3, 07.2000, p. 285-299.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reading the space of the farmers' market
T2 - A preliminary investigation from the UK
AU - Holloway, L.
AU - Kneafsey, M.
PY - 2000/7
Y1 - 2000/7
N2 - The aim of this paper is to begin to examine the emergence of Farmers' Markets (FM) in the UK. It is suggested that FM represent a new type of 'consumption space' within the contemporary British foodscape, one which may be read as a heterotopic convergence of localist, moral, ethical and environmental discourses, mediated by networks of producers, consumers and institutions. Based on a preliminary analysis of some of the discourses employed by these actors, it is argued that FM can be understood simultaneously as 'conservative' and 'alternative' spaces. 'Conservative' in that they encapsulate a reactionary valorization of the local, linking localness to the ideas of quality, health and rurality, and 'alternative' in that they represent a diversifying rural economy arising in response to the difficulties being experienced by some UK farmers and a more general perception of a countryside under threat. Initial evidence from a pilot case study in Stratford-upon-Avon is used to support these suggestions and propose directions for future research.
AB - The aim of this paper is to begin to examine the emergence of Farmers' Markets (FM) in the UK. It is suggested that FM represent a new type of 'consumption space' within the contemporary British foodscape, one which may be read as a heterotopic convergence of localist, moral, ethical and environmental discourses, mediated by networks of producers, consumers and institutions. Based on a preliminary analysis of some of the discourses employed by these actors, it is argued that FM can be understood simultaneously as 'conservative' and 'alternative' spaces. 'Conservative' in that they encapsulate a reactionary valorization of the local, linking localness to the ideas of quality, health and rurality, and 'alternative' in that they represent a diversifying rural economy arising in response to the difficulties being experienced by some UK farmers and a more general perception of a countryside under threat. Initial evidence from a pilot case study in Stratford-upon-Avon is used to support these suggestions and propose directions for future research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033872548&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1467-9523.00149
DO - 10.1111/1467-9523.00149
M3 - Article
VL - 40
SP - 285
EP - 299
JO - Sociologia Ruralis
JF - Sociologia Ruralis
SN - 0038-0199
IS - 3
ER -