Introduction: An Anthropological Manifesto

This introductory chapter establishes the historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations for The AnthroFood 2050 Manifesto. The authors trace the evolution of the term "manifesto" from its political origins to its application in social sciences as a positioning paper that signals paradigm shifts and calls scholars to public action. They contextualize the initiative within long-standing anthropological debates surrounding public relevance versus theoretical rigor, arguing that effective public engagement mutually enriches ethnographic depth. The chapter highlights the urgent turning point of the global food system—characterized by climate degradation, corporate market concentration, extreme waste, and widespread malnutrition—and argues that technocratic interventions alone are insufficient. Tracing the discipline's epistemological shift from early symbolic and structural accounts to modern political-economic critiques, the authors position food anthropology as uniquely equipped to address these crises. Finally, the authors document the transparent, democratic process led by EASA FoodNet between 2024 and 2026—including the landmark AnthroFood 2050 workshop held at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan—which brought together international scholars to formulate the manifesto. By framing food as a carriers of emotion, care, identity, and power, the introduction sets the stage for the volume's collective call to reclaim the future of food through social justice, ecological resilience, and interdisciplinary action.