The Globalization of the Livestock Trade and Animal Health in Comparative Perspective

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20KK0274
• Research Category: Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (A))
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03040:History of Europe and America-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: MITSUDA Tatsuya 慶應義塾大学, 経済学部(日吉), 准教授 (90549841)
• Project Period (FY): 2021 – 2023
• Keywords: 食肉 / グローバルヒストリー / 菜食主義 / 肉食化 / 脱肉食化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The international collaborative study aimed for a global perspective behind the process of 'meatification' and 'de-meatification', looking to correct the western-centric narrative that has so far dominated the field. As a result, the study revealed that there were many regional differences in relation to meatification, the acceptance of Western breeds, the issue of taste, as well asthe characteristics of de-meatification. The impact of western countries, where the meatification process was advanced, was not small but the various ways in which other countries dealt with both meatification and de-meatification suggest significant differences with the Western experience, a perspective that must be incorporated into discussions about how the world should deal with reducing the impact of meat on the environment and society. Thanks to this research, the foundations have been laid for the writing of a monograph that better reflects the diverse experiences countries went through.

Free Research Field

歴史学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、西洋諸国中心に拡大していった肉食化と脱肉食化の歴史を見直し、非西洋諸国における肉食化と脱肉食化の経緯を理解することで、世界的に議論されている肉食論・脱肉食化論の相対化を図った。その結果、肉食化と脱肉食化は、世界各国にて一筋縄ではいかなかったことがわかった。肉食化の場合、洋種の輸入は必ずしも成功はせず、非西洋種との交配を通してようやく牛肉の大量生産が実現するようになった。一方、脱肉食化の場合、これも西洋諸国における菜食主義運動を模倣したものでは決してなく、伝統食が菜食料理に近いことから、自国料理の優位性を訴える菜食主義運動がしばしば起こった。