School of Social and Political Science

Description

Abstract: Building on a long history of critiques and activist demands for change, this talk explores the continued use of the food desert concept within US legislation and the specifical spatial imaginaries embedded within US food policy. Based on a forthcoming co-authored book chapter based on archival and legislative archaeology, it shows how the food desert spatial imaginary is legally and spatially constituted through the USDA's food desert mapping and resulting policy recommendations. We'll discuss the implications for addressing disparities and the struggle for food justice.

Bio: Alanna Higgins is an Assistant Professor in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham, UK. Her research interests include food and nutrition justice, critical political ecologies of health and bodies, and pedagogies for educational equity.