Free-Range Religion: Alternative Food Movements and Religious Life in the United States

"Ethical and moral concerns about food and diet commonly feature in individuals' religious identities and expressions. These concerns extend beyond what one should eat to include how food should be prepared and produced. As Adrienne Krone demonstrates in this ethnographic study, participants in alternative food movements are developing new ways to see food preparation and production as religious acts. Following two Christian and two Jewish food organizations, Krone complicates our understanding of American religion as religious people come together across a range of differences to change the food system. Free-Range Religion showcases the complex ways that religion lives and works within food production, marketing, and distribution. These 'free-range' religious practices blend belief and practice with secular concerns and constitute a key, albeit understudied, part of the American alternative food movement"--

Publisher Marketing: "An intriguing window into the complex intersections between food production and faith in America."-- Publisher's Weekly Review Quotes : "Adrienne Krone's wonderful Free-Range Religion is a groundbreaking addition to scholarship on religion beyond institutions and is essential reading for understanding how food production and consumption can become sacred acts."--Nora L. Rubel, Jane and Alan Batkin Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Rochester Review Quotes : "Through impressive ethnographic analysis, Krone astutely demonstrates how Christian and Jewish alternative food movements are powerful examples of religious change that expand the boundaries of traditional practices and beliefs."--Rachel B. Gross, author of Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice Biographical Note : Adrienne Krone is associate professor of environmental science and sustainability and religious studies at Allegheny College. Commendation Quotes : "Krone's unique ethnographic narrative gives readers valuable insight into the contemporary conversation between religious and alternative food movements. She uncovers tensions and complications for those seeking to draw together food justice and religion, but she also reveals how notions of the sacred emerge in relation to land, food, and the human body."--Gretel A. Van Wieren, Michigan State University Publisher Marketing : Ethical and moral concerns about food and diet commonly feature in individuals' religious identities and expressions. These concerns extend beyond what one should eat to include how food should be prepared and produced. As Adrienne Krone demonstrates in this ethnographic study, participants in alternative food movements are developing new ways to see food preparation and production as religious acts. Following two Christian and two Jewish food organizations, Krone complicates our understanding of American religion as religious people come together across a range of differences to change the food system. Free-Range Religion showcases the complex ways that religion lives and works within food production, marketing, and distribution. These "free-range" religious practices blend belief and practice with secular concerns and constitute a key, albeit understudied, part of the American alternative food movement. Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/06/2025 (EAN 9781469690322, Paperback) Contributor Bio: Krone, Adrienne Adrienne Krone is associate professor of environmental science and sustainability and religious studies at Allegheny College.

Format: Paperback | Pages: 210 | Publication Date: 2025-11-11