Culinary arts education: Unpacking and disrupting its master-apprentice pedagogy

Abstract

This article examines pedagogical practices in Western orientated culinary arts education, specifically focusing on the traditional master-apprentice model. Leveraging the author's experiences with resistance to pedagogic change, the study employs Bourdieu's Field Theory to unravel entrenched pedagogic beliefs, norms, and practices in the culinary arts. The discussion centers on exploring historical social agents and their impact on culinary education, elucidating how they shape pedagogic beliefs, norms, and the logic of the field. Through Bourdieu's lens, the article emphasises the interconnectedness of culinary education within broader socio-cultural forces, revealing the intricate weaving of social positioning and knowledge acquisition within the field. This provides insights into the emergence of resistance to pedagogic change. The findings contribute to ongoing critical discussions pertaining to contemporary culinary education. The discussion underscores the importance of understanding socio-cultural dynamics shaping culinary education and advocates for strategies to support culinary educators amid pedagogic change. In a post-pandemic world, this discussion becomes a vital resource for comprehending and addressing opportunities and challenges in vocational education. It strives to ensure a responsive and adaptive pedagogic approach for future culinary arts learners. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Vocational education Bourdieu field theory Culinary arts pedagogy Institutional logic Master-apprentice Pedagogic transition

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Food Design Institute, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand

TAFE, Melbourne, Australia

Funding & Acknowledgements

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, State Government of Victoria

Funding text 1: Supported by a grant from the Victorian Department of Education (DET), WAI was tasked to create video recordings which covered a series of dishes that were prepared as part of the national curriculum. The DET grant required WAI to share the video with the other TAFEs within Australia, and in a similar response to the lecturers at Otago Polytechnic, the request to share the video recordings with the wider TAFE network raised lecturer concerns of knowledge ownership and job security.; Funding text 2: The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of colleagues and management at Otago Polytechnic/Te Pūkenga and William Angliss Institute in supporting this research.

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Culinary arts education: Unpacking and disrupting its master-apprentice pedagogy

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