Resisting Food Waste
(2022) SOLM02 20221Department of Sociology of Law
- Abstract
- Today, about one-third of all produced food and drinks are neither eaten nor drunk and turn into food waste. To put this number into perspective, the amount of wasted food would feed three billion people each year. From 2012 to 2018, Swedish grocery stores have more than doubled their amount of food waste, now reaching 100 000 tons per year. This is an outcome of deeply rooted norms of hygiene and edibility, as well as competitive forces leading to overproduction and overconsumption of food. A group of people who challenge these conventional consumer patterns are dumpster divers. In this study, dumpster diving is referred to as “the activity of searching through dumpsters or other large containers holding waste, to find food that can still... (More)
- Today, about one-third of all produced food and drinks are neither eaten nor drunk and turn into food waste. To put this number into perspective, the amount of wasted food would feed three billion people each year. From 2012 to 2018, Swedish grocery stores have more than doubled their amount of food waste, now reaching 100 000 tons per year. This is an outcome of deeply rooted norms of hygiene and edibility, as well as competitive forces leading to overproduction and overconsumption of food. A group of people who challenge these conventional consumer patterns are dumpster divers. In this study, dumpster diving is referred to as “the activity of searching through dumpsters or other large containers holding waste, to find food that can still be eaten” (Cambridge Dictionary n.d). Dumpster diving is considered to be a transgressive activity and is often done illegally. This has led to the research questions for this study: What does the legal consciousness of voluntary dumpster divers in Sweden look like when narrating their experiences of dumpster diving? And: How do voluntary dumpster divers in Sweden legitimize dumpster diving through their legal consciousness? The research questions are theory bound, building on Patricia Ewick and Susan S. Silbey’s threefold concept of legal consciousness: before, with, and against the law. Interviews with both active and former dumpster divers were conducted to answer the research questions. It became evident that the dumpster divers’ legal consciousnesses are plural and fluctuant, building on elements from all legalities. Most evident in the dumpster divers’ narration, was the against the law and with the law legalities. Depending on the character of their legal consciousness, the dumpster divers legitimized their actions in different ways, such as through the law, posing critique, or by making profits. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9083747
- author
- Berg, Linnéa LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- A socio-legal study of how dumpster divers’ legal consciousness influences their narration of legitimizing dumpster diving
- course
- SOLM02 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- dumpster diving, legal consciousness, Patricia Ewick, Susan S. Silbey, sociology of law
- language
- English
- id
- 9083747
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-01 14:03:23
- date last changed
- 2022-08-01 14:03:23
@misc{9083747,
abstract = {{Today, about one-third of all produced food and drinks are neither eaten nor drunk and turn into food waste. To put this number into perspective, the amount of wasted food would feed three billion people each year. From 2012 to 2018, Swedish grocery stores have more than doubled their amount of food waste, now reaching 100 000 tons per year. This is an outcome of deeply rooted norms of hygiene and edibility, as well as competitive forces leading to overproduction and overconsumption of food. A group of people who challenge these conventional consumer patterns are dumpster divers. In this study, dumpster diving is referred to as “the activity of searching through dumpsters or other large containers holding waste, to find food that can still be eaten” (Cambridge Dictionary n.d). Dumpster diving is considered to be a transgressive activity and is often done illegally. This has led to the research questions for this study: What does the legal consciousness of voluntary dumpster divers in Sweden look like when narrating their experiences of dumpster diving? And: How do voluntary dumpster divers in Sweden legitimize dumpster diving through their legal consciousness? The research questions are theory bound, building on Patricia Ewick and Susan S. Silbey’s threefold concept of legal consciousness: before, with, and against the law. Interviews with both active and former dumpster divers were conducted to answer the research questions. It became evident that the dumpster divers’ legal consciousnesses are plural and fluctuant, building on elements from all legalities. Most evident in the dumpster divers’ narration, was the against the law and with the law legalities. Depending on the character of their legal consciousness, the dumpster divers legitimized their actions in different ways, such as through the law, posing critique, or by making profits.}},
author = {{Berg, Linnéa}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Resisting Food Waste}},
year = {{2022}},
}