Expanding Food Justice: Gender, Race and Hunger in Toronto
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Expanding Food Justice: Gender, Race and Hunger in Toronto by Stacey Murie A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of Geography & Planning University of Toronto © Copyright by Stacey Murie, 2017 Expanding Food Justice: Gender, Race and Hunger in Toronto Stacey Murie Master of Arts Graduate Department of Geography & Planning University of Toronto 2017 Abstract Hunger is a significant issue in Toronto, particularly among racialized individuals and female lone-parent households. Canadian critical food scholarship generally attributes hunger among these marginalized groups to financial insecurity, disregarding the ways gender and race intersect with poverty. To challenge this pattern, I argue that a food justice framework can elucidate how intersecting systems of oppression impact the ability of marginalized communities to access food. Drawing from participant observation at The Stop, a leading food justice organization in Toronto, and interviews with staff members from various food security organizations, this project examines the utility of a food justice framework in understanding how gender and racial inequality shape the experiences of The Stop’s participants and analyzes how The Stop works to dismantle gender and racial injustices through food activism, and what barriers to this work exist. Doing so highlights the possibilities for re-framing how hunger is understood and addressed in Toronto. ii Acknowledgments There are a few individuals I would like to thank for their contributions to my research project. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Sarah Wakefield. You have provided me with great guidance, feedback, and encouragement. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Tracey Galloway and Dr. Nicole Laliberte, for their thoughtful comments. Furthermore, my project would not have been possible without the support of The Stop Community Food Centre’s leadership team, The Stop’s participants, and all interview informants. I also appreciate the patience, kindness, and support of my family members Joan Ramsay, Alex Murie, and Andy Murie. Lastly, I would like to give special thanks to Cory Crabtree for his careful editing and his continual motivation. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 ..........................................................................................................................................1 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 ..........................................................................................................................................6 2 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................6 2.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6 2.2 Responses to Hunger in Toronto ..........................................................................................7 2.3 Food Justice .......................................................................................................................12 2.4 Intersectionality ..................................................................................................................16 2.5 Food Justice in Canada? .....................................................................................................19 2.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................29 Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................................................30 3 Methods and Methodology .......................................................................................................30 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................30 3.2 The Stop Community Food Centre ....................................................................................30 3.3 Participant Observation, Semi-Structured Interviews, and Recruitment ...........................34 3.4 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................38 3.5 Why Ethnography? ............................................................................................................39 3.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................43 Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................................................44 4 Findings .....................................................................................................................................44 iv 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................44 4.2 Everyday Experiences of Gender and Racial Inequality at The Stop ................................44 4.3 Targeted Programming ......................................................................................................48 4.4 Enhancing Diversity of Staff and Volunteers ....................................................................53 4.5 Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Education and Action .................................................54 4.6 Participant Empowerment ..................................................................................................59 4.7 Barriers ...............................................................................................................................63 4.8 Summary ............................................................................................................................66 Chapter 5 ........................................................................................................................................68 5 Discussion, Lessons Learned & Conclusion .............................................................................68 5.1 Summary of Key Findings .................................................................................................68 5.2 Limitations .........................................................................................................................70 5.3 Contributions to Food Justice Literature ............................................................................72 5.3.1 Gender, Race, and the Everyday Lives of The Stop’s Participants .......................72 5.3.2 Challenging Gender and Racial Inequality through Food Justice Activism ..........78 5.4 Lessons Learned .................................................................................................................83 5.5 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................85 References ......................................................................................................................................87 Appendix 1: Letter of Consent – Interviews ..................................................................................95 Appendix 2: Letter of Consent – Participant Observation at The Stop .........................................99 Appendix 3: List of The Stop’s Programs ...................................................................................103 v vi List of Figures 1. Map of the Davenport West Neighbourhood of Toronto……………………………32 2. Map of the Bracondale Hill Neighbourhood of Toronto…………………………….33 vii List of Appendices 1. Appendix 1: Letter of Consent – Interviews……………………………....………..95 2. Appendix 2: Letter of Consent – Participant Observation at The Stop….………….99 3. Appendix 3: List of The Stop’s Programs……………………………………….…103 viii Chapter 1 1 Introduction Empty kitchen cupboards are an alarming daily reality for many Torontonians. Although Toronto is ranked as one of the top four cities of opportunity in the world (PWC, 2016), hunger is a severe municipal issue. In 2014, 12.6% of Torontonians experienced some level of food insecurity, which is understood as the inability to access the amount of food needed to maintain good health (Tarasuk, Mitchell, & Dachner, 2016). Mounting poverty rates in the city have caused increasing rates of hunger (Saul & Curtis, 2013; Davis & Tarasuk, 1994; Daily Bread Food Bank, 2016, etc). Between the years 1981 and 2005, income inequality increased 31% in Toronto, even though the gap only grew 14% nationally during this time period (United Way, 2015). Accordingly, hunger is not the result of a lack of food in Toronto, but rather the high costs of housing, food, and other basic needs, as well