Organic food consumption and social class : an exploration of food culture at Whitman College

In this study, I draw on the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu to investigate the use of organic food consumption as a marker between social class boundaries on the Whitman campus. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with Whitman students and community members, I explore how food choices represent boundaries between social classes and how these boundaries work to maintain, or not maintain, social class distinctions. My research shows that organic consumption is connected to, and at times hindered by, issues of social class. This is significant considering the necessity for change within the industrial agriculture system.