This thesis examines the problem of disordered eating based on ethnographic fieldwork in emergency shelters, soup kitchens, and eating disorder support groups, as well as interviews with medical professionals, and other residents of a Canadian city. This person-centered ethnography that explores the eating behaviors of not only those who have been diagnosed with 'eating disorders', but also those who are unable at times to provide themselves with food reveals that in spite of a prevailing discourse that determines eating as an independent act, food choices and eating patterns are dependent social 'works of the imagination' affected and shaped by social determinants and cultural norms. From eating disorders to type 2 diabetes and 'food as gift,' the lived experience of individuals indexes the ways in which food, power, and identity are enmeshed and embedded within culture. This critical perspective argues that disordered eating is socially and culturally produced and reproduced. / vi, 182 leaves ; 29 cm.

This cross-cultural study examines eating disorders, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia, and compulsive overeating in Japanese and Canadian women. Through qualitative interviews with nine Japanese and nine Canadian women with eating disorders, it was found that factors contributing to the onset of eating disorders were similar in the two groups. Similarities included the value placed upon thinness by society which is widely perpetuated by the media, being told they were fat and made to feel they needed to lose weight, wanting attention for their eating disorder, and a history of sexual abuse. The Canadian women interviewed, revealed that their mothers also had eating disorders. On the other hand, the Japanese women reported stress from the education system, which led to abnormal eating behavior. Japanese women also reported gender-role conflicts as a cause. / A questionnaire regarding attitudes towards food and weight was given to 100 Japanese and 55 Canadian female university students. It was found that the women's desire to lose weight was strong in both samples. Sixty-six percent of the Japanese women and 38.1 percent of the Canadian women reported that they are "always," "usually," or "often" terrified that their weight will increase. This study postulates that the women with eating disorders want to empower themselves by controlling their food intake and their body weight. The implication is that any factor that creates a sense of ineffectiveness in the woman may trigger an eating disorder if the woman believes the only thing she can control is her food intake. Evidence to support this argument will be shown through discussions of actual experiences of women with eating disorders.

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