Jakob Klein

Jakob Klein is a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS University of London. His research focuses on the anthropology of food, with emphasis on Chinese and Asian culinary cultures, ethical consumption, heritage politics, and the interplay between state policies and market forces in shaping food systems.

Klein's work explores themes such as:

• Culinary modernity and identity in China
• State-led food security initiatives (e.g., potato promotion)
• Heritage commodification of regional foods
• Buddhist vegetarianism and changing meat consumption
• Alternative food movements in postsocialist contexts

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on:

• Cultural adaptation of global food trends
• Political economy of dietary change
• Ethnographic analysis of food practices across urban/rural divides

He has supervised doctoral research on food tourism in Istria, gastronomic reinvention in Bulgaria, and cultural capital in Chinese leisure industries.