Claude Fischler (born 1947) is a French

social scientist Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

(

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

). He is a ''directeur de recherche'' of the

French National Centre for Scientific Research The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 engi ...

and heads the

Institut Interdisciplinaire d'Anthropologie du Contemporain Institut interdisciplinaire d'anthropologie du contemporain (IIAC, stylised iiac; in English Interdisciplinary Institute of Contemporary Anthropology) is a French anthropological research centre institutionally linked to the EHESS and to the CNRS ...

(Interdisciplinary Institute for Contemporary Anthropology), a research unit of the

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conjo ...

, in Paris.

Research topics

Claude Fischler's main area of research has been a comparative, interdisciplinary social science perspective on

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

. His work covers the structure and function of

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...

s and preferences and their evolution and change over time and space, as well as

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in several disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psycho ...

. Subsequently, he came to focus on perception of

risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...

, scares and

crises A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

, on comparative approaches of attitudes toward food and

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

across cultures (in relation to, among other things, prevalence of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

), on the reception and perception of sensitive technologies (including novel foods) and more recently on assessment and measurement of

well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...

and

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

in a comparative perspective. His main current research is on commensality - eating together - its forms and functions, and its possible impact on

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

. The anthropology of commensality ties into the general issue of sharing food, at the local and global levels.

Activities

Claude Fischler served on the Scientific Committee and the Expert Committee on Human Nutrition of the French Agency for Food Safety (AFFSA) and on its board of directors. He has been a member of the steering committee of the French National Program on Nutrition and Health. He has also been a member on the executive committee of the

European Sociological Association The European Sociological Association (ESA) is an academic association of European sociologists with over 2800 members. It is a member of the Initiative for Science in Europe and the International Sociological Association. History ESA was establis ...

. He serves on the Strategic Committee on Sustainable Agriculture and Development advising the French Minister of Food and Agriculture and also on the Advisory Group on Risk Communication of the

European Food Safety Authority The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002 ...

Bibliography

Books as main author

* ''Le Retour des astrologues. Diagnostic sociologique'',

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, Club de l'Obs, 1971. ::Reviewed in ''Archives de sociologie des religions''17:34 (1972), pp. 183-184. * ''La Croyance astrologique moderne : Diagnostic sociologique'', with

Edgar Morin Edgar Morin (; ; né Nahoum; born 8 July 1921) is a French philosopher and sociologist of the theory of information who has been recognized for his work on complexity and "complex thought" ('' pensée complexe''), and for his scholarly contribut ...

& ''al.'',

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, L'Age d'homme, 1981. * ''La Damnation de Fos'', with Bernard Paillard, Paris, Le Seuil, 1981. * ''L'Homme et la Table'', Paris,

École des hautes études en sciences sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conj ...

, 1990. * ''L'Homnivore. Le goût, la cuisine et le corps'', Paris,

Odile Jacob Odile Jacob is a French publisher who founded ''Les Éditions Odile Jacob'' in the middle of the 1980s. She is also a trained scientist, studying the workings of the brain, the mind and thought. She is a member of Le Siècle.Frédéric Saliba, 'L ...

, 1990. ::Awarded a prize by the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. ::Reprinted in 1991, 2001, 2010. * ''Du Vin'', Paris, Odile Jacob, 1999. * ''Manger. Français, Européens et Américains face à l'alimentation'', with Estelle Masson, Paris, Odile Jacob, 2008.

Books as editor

* ''La nourriture - pour une anthropologie bioculturelle de l'alimentation'', ''

Communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

'' 31, 1979. * ''Manger magique'' », Paris, Autrement, n°149, 1994. * ''Pensée magique et alimentation aujourd'hui'', Cahiers de l'OCHA 5, 1996. * ''Les alimentations particulières : Mangerons-nous encore ensemble demain ?'', Paris, Odile Jacob, 2013.

Works in English

*"Food, Self and Identity", ''Social Science Information'' 27:2 (1988), pp. 275–292.
Food Selection and Risk Perception
*"Commensality, Society, and Culture", ''Social Science Information'' 50(3–4) (2011), pp. 528–548.

External links

Claude Fischler's website

Claude Fischler

Edgar Morin Centre The Edgar Morin Centre (French: ''Centre Edgar-Morin''), formerly CETSAH (Centre d'Études Transdisciplinaires, Sociologie, Anthropologie, Histoire), is a graduate teaching and research unit of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales ( ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischler, Claude French sociologists French anthropologists 1947 births Living people