Date of Award
Spring 4-28-2016
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
First Advisor
Gable, Eric
Major or Concentration
Anthropology
Abstract
This thesis examines the rise in popularity of the farmers' market through ethnographic research of the Fredericksburg Farmers' market. The farmers' market shopper has become a well known stereotype -- a white, upper-middle class suburbanite who sees it as their moral duty to support their local community and economy through their consumer power. I argue that these shoppers are buying more than just healthy local food. Their interactions with the market and vendors build an experience that feels more authentic and real than the larger capitalist society the market exists within. Through their consumption of the farmers' market and its food, they can incorporate this authenticity into their own beings.
Recommended Citation
Hinson, Ellery Brett, "The Farmers' Market Experience: Food to Fuel the Body and Soul" (2016). Student Research Submissions. 59.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/59