anthrodish transcripts: dr. tina sikka
how genetic diets and health tech turn food into surveillance tools
This month’s AnthroDish Transcript is with Dr. Tina Sikka, a Lecturer in Media and Culture at Newcastle University in the UK.
The episode first aired on April 14, 2020 (and was recorded a few weeks into the pandemic, so there are several references to that ~*strange*~ time of early lockdowns). The following is an abridged transcript of the show, lightly edited for clarity. If you want to listen instead, you can check out the audio link below, or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Show Intro:
We’re living in a very surreal and increasingly digital world these days, and I don’t know about you all, but I’m finding myself taking a step back each day trying to figure out what this means for how our society is shaped and what our futures will look like. We see a heightened presence of fitness and wellness apps, with extended free trials, or nutrition trackers that give you healthy recipes… but how do they see health? Who gets left out of these fitness and health ideals, and how is tech playing into or heightening the racial and gendered issues around health and food?
My guest this week is the brilliant Dr. Tina Sikka, who’s here to shed light on some of these questions! She is a Lecturer in Media and Culture at Newcastle University in the UK. Her research interests include the sociology of science and technology – which includes environmental science, nutritional science, food culture, and health. She also looks at feminist praxis and the study of race. In addition to her academic work, Tina has written for such outlets as Jacobin, Lady Science and Alternet. Her most recent book is titled Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice: The Standpoint of the Vulnerable (Springer Press, 2019).
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