Tangled Routes

Deborah Barndt is professor of environmental studies at York University in Toronto. A photographer and activist, she has worked with social justice movements in Canada, the United States, and Central America for over forty years.

• Introduction: Roots and RoutesChapter 1: Across Space and through Time: Tomatl Meets the Corporate TomatoChapter 2: Frames and Filters: Theoretical and Methodological ApproachesChapter 3: Arch Deluxe with a Smile: Women Never Stop at McDonald'sChapter 4: You Can Count on Us: Scanning Cashiers at Loblaws SupermarketsChapter 5: On the Move for Food: Truckers and Transnational MigrantsChapter 6: Picking and Packing for the North: Agricultural Workers at Empaque Santa RosaChapter 7: Crossing Sectors and Borders: Weaving a Holistic AnalysisChapter 8: Signs of Hope: Taking Action for Justice and Sustainability

Barndt provides a rare synthesis of academic scholarship with an eminently accessible presentation of a social activist. Her writing style and liberal use of photographs are unusual in an academic work, yet Barndt's scholarly credentials are strong. Highly recommended. CHOICE Tangled Routes has much to offer a feminist classroom. The flexibility of Barndt's chosen methodology allows her to focus on one product within the entire process of getting the product from the field to the table. The magnitude of the project-globalization from above and from below-also suggests that qualitative research can be a laborious and painstaking process. It is an example for students to learn how the scope of a project may inhibit an in-depth analysis of a particular feature if there are many other different and complex parts to examine. Instructors may also explore other possible themes to use in their classrooms, such as women and work, social oppression, or cultural/corporate hegemony. Barndt's thoroughness in explaining occurrences within the food system as well as the stories of individuals directly or indirectly involved with the process, discloses an array of ideologies embedded within the global food system. Unveiling these social beliefs can elicit thought-provoking classroom conversations, allowing for rich analyses of the intersections taking place along the tomato trail. Feminist Teacher In this extensively-researched book, Deborah Barndt shines a spotlight on the 'corporate tomato.' ... An extensive index makes this an essential addition to the libraries of people concerned with justice. Horizons: The Magazine of Presbyterian Women