Working in the Middle Museums Spurring Food Governance Sustainable Transition in NYC
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Published
01-05-2026
Nunzia Borrelli
Pamela Koch
Sebastian Burgos Guerrero
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8435-9667
Abstract
This article examines food governance from a sociological perspective, focusing on how diverse actors contribute to more inclusive and capacity-building processes. Building on debates on collaborative governance and sustainable food systems, it advances the hypothesis that museums—although not formally embedded in governance structures—can act as meso-level actors by fostering learning, public engagement, and knowledge translation. The study situates museums within their transformation into socially engaged institutions and draws on a qualitative case study of New York City, combining theoretical analysis with empirical research on local actors and practices. Findings show that museums support governance processes by activating learning environments, strengthening stakeholder networks, and enhancing reflexive capacities that bridge policy and practice. The article argues that recognising museums as intermediary actors expands current understandings of food governance and supports more participatory and place-based approaches to sustainability
How to Cite
Borrelli, N., Koch, P. and Burgos Guerrero, S. (2026) “Working in the Middle: Museums Spurring Food Governance Sustainable Transition in NYC”, The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 32(1), pp. 27–50. doi:10.48416/ijsaf.v31i1.690.
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Keywords
food governance, NYC, Sustainability, Museums
References
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Janes R (2009) Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance, or Collapse? New York: Routledge.
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Jessop B (2013) Hollowing Out the ‘Nation-State’ and Multi-Level Governance. In: Kennett P (ed.) A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy. 2nd edn. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 13–32. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782546535.00008
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Johnston C and Andrée P (2019) Pathways to Co-Governance? The Role of NGOs in Food Governance in the Northwest Territories, Canada. In: Andrée P, Clark JK, Levkoe CZ and Lowitt K (eds) Civil Society and Social Movements in Food System Governance. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 137–154.
Karp I, Kreamer CM and Levine SD (1992) Museums and Communities: The Politics of Public Culture. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Kooiman J (2004) Governing as Governance. International Public Management Journal 7(3): 439–442.
Kühne O, Dumitrache L, Fischer JD et al. (eds) (2022) Foodscapes: Theory, History and Current European Examples. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
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Latour B (1987) Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lefebvre H (2003) The Urban Revolution. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Levent N and Mihalache I (eds) (2017) Food and Museums. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Macdonald S (2023) Doing Diversity in Museums and Heritage: A Berlin Ethnography. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag.
Manhattan Borough President (2009) Food in the Public Interest: How New York City Food Policy Holds the Key to Hunger, Health, Jobs, and the Environment. New York: Office of the Manhattan Borough President.
Manhattan Borough President (2010) FoodNYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System. New York: Office of the Manhattan Borough President.
Massey D (1994) Space, Place, and Gender. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
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Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (2025) Prioritizing Food Education in Our Public Schools: Two-Year Progress Report. New York: NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. Available at: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/foodpolicy/downloads/pdf/food-education-roadmap-progress-2025.pdf (accessed August 2025).
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Moragues-Faus A, Clark JK, Battersby J and Davies A (2022) Towards Urban Food Governance for More Sustainable and Just Futures. In: Moragues-Faus A, Clark JK, Battersby J and Davies A (eds) Routledge Handbook of Urban Food Governance. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 1–19.
Morgan J and Macdonald S (2020) De-Growing Museum Collections for New Heritage Futures. International Journal of Heritage Studies 26(1): 56–70.
Morse N (2021) Care, Repair, and the Future Social Relevance of Museums. Museums & Social Issues 15(1–2): 28–38.
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NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (2021) Food Forward NYC: A 10-Year Food Policy Plan. Available at: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/foodpolicy/downloads/pdf/NYC_FoodReport_18_CB_interactive.pdf (accessed 19 July 2024).
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How to Cite
Borrelli, N., Koch, P. and Burgos Guerrero, S. (2026) “Working in the Middle: Museums Spurring Food Governance Sustainable Transition in NYC”, The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 32(1), pp. 27–50. doi:10.48416/ijsaf.v31i1.690.