At The Hearth: How the Industrial Food System has Changed the Hearth and Home in the Last 100 Years

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to historically analyze the history of the industrial food system and the impact on the image of the keeper of the hearth from a Depth Ecopsychological perspective. It will start with a critical analysis of the history of the industrial food system, exploring the changes it made on western society, specifically in relation to the hearth keepers: from its agrarian roots through industrialization and finally through the current technological revolution. The question that will be asked: what affects these changes in the industrial food system had on those who hold the position of our hearth keepers and providers. Finally, the study will reimagine a food system that is balanced, maintaining the health of our environment, communities and personal psychology by honoring the hearth keepers. The intention is to produce a hermeneutic cultural picture that will address the current industrial food systems destruction of the place of the hearth keepers and what possibilities are available for a whole and healthy system.