Claude Fischler (born 1947) is a French

social scientist Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of socie ...

(

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

). He is a ''directeur de recherche'' of the

French National Centre for Scientific Research The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 ...

and heads the Institut Interdisciplinaire d'Anthropologie du Contemporain (Interdisciplinary Institute for Contemporary Anthropology), a research unit of the

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and ''grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...

, in Paris.

Research topics

Claude Fischler's main area of research has been a comparative, interdisciplinary social science perspective on

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

. His work covers the structure and function of

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

s and preferences and their evolution and change over time and space, as well as

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...

. Subsequently, he came to focus on perception of

risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...

, scares and

crises A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

, on comparative approaches of attitudes toward food and

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

across cultures (in relation to, among other things, prevalence of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

), on the reception and perception of sensitive technologies (including novel foods) and more recently on assessment and measurement of

well-being Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...

and

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

in a comparative perspective. His main current research is on commensality - eating together - its forms and functions, and its possible impact on

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. The anthropology of commensality ties into the general issue of sharing food, at the local and global levels.

Activities

Claude Fischler served on the Scientific Committee and the Expert Committee on Human Nutrition of the French Agency for Food Safety (AFFSA) and on its board of directors. He has been a member of the steering committee of the French National Program on Nutrition and Health. He has also been a member on the Executive Committee of the

European Sociological Association The European Sociological Association (ESA) is an academic association of European sociologists with over 2800 members. It is a member of the Initiative for Science in Europe and the International Sociological Association. History ESA was establi ...

. He serves on the Strategic Committee on Sustainable Agriculture and Development advising the French Minister of Food and Agriculture and also on the Advisory Group on Risk Communication of the

European Food Safety Authority The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002, ...

Bibliography

Books as main author

* ''Le Retour des astrologues. Diagnostic sociologique'',

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Club de l'Obs, 1971. ::Reviewed in ''Archives de sociologie des religions''17:34 (1972), pp. 183-184. * ''La Croyance astrologique moderne : Diagnostic sociologique'', with

Edgar Morin Edgar Morin (; ; born Edgar Nahoum; 8 July 1921) is a French philosopher and sociologist of the theory of information who has been recognized for his work on complexity and "complex thought" ( pensée complexe), and for his scholarly contributio ...

& ''al.'',

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

, L'Age d'homme, 1981. * ''La Damnation de Fos'', with Bernard Paillard, Paris, Le Seuil, 1981. * ''L'Homme et la Table'', Paris,

École des hautes études en sciences sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...

, 1990. * ''L'Homnivore. Le goût, la cuisine et le corps'', Paris,

Odile Jacob Odile Jacob is a French publisher who founded ''Les Éditions Odile Jacob'' in the middle of the 1980s. She is also a trained scientist, studying the workings of the brain, the mind and thought. She is a member of Le Siècle.Frédéric Saliba, 'L ...

, 1990. ::Awarded a prize by the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

. ::Reprinted in 1991, 2001, 2010. * ''Du Vin'', Paris, Odile Jacob, 1999. * ''Manger. Français, Européens et Américains face à l'alimentation'', with Estelle Masson, Paris, Odile Jacob, 2008.

Books as editor

* ''La nourriture - pour une anthropologie bioculturelle de l'alimentation'', ''

Communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

'' 31, 1979. * ''Manger magique'' », Paris, Autrement, n°149, 1994. * ''Pensée magique et alimentation aujourd'hui'', Cahiers de l'OCHA 5, 1996. * ''Les alimentations particulières : Mangerons-nous encore ensemble demain ?'', Paris, Odile Jacob, 2013.

Works in English

*"Food, Self and Identity", ''Social Science Information'' 27:2 (1988), pp. 275–292.
Food Selection and Risk Perception
*"Commensality, Society, and Culture", ''Social Science Information'' 50(3-4) (2011), pp. 528–548.

External links

Claude Fischler's website

Claude Fischler
Edgar Morin Centre. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischler, Claude French sociologists French anthropologists 1947 births Living people