Abstract/Summary

Relocalisation is often seen as an antidote to the problems associated with the ‘globalised’ food system. Shortening the distance between food production and consumption requires a significant shift in food systems thinking and practice. This thesis is concerned with how these rescaled food systems are imagined by actors seeking to move away from the ‘global’ and towards the ‘local’, and the role of these visions in transforming food systems. It fuses sustainability transitions – the process of change, usually from a less towards a more desirable state, with spatial imaginaries – the ways we collectively conceptualise, frame and experience spaces and places. The research focuses on the transitions sought by people working within and around UK food partnerships. It combines document review, interviews and spatial mapping methods to uncover and explore the desired destinations of transition – what I refer to as spatial imaginaries – how these visions are legitimised and justified, and by whom. It builds a picture of the conditions required for an imaginary to take hold, reflecting on the interaction between vision, policy and practice and the tensions that arise. In doing so, it responds to an identified research gap to better understand the role and influence of spatiality, agency and legitimacy in reimagining food system transitions. More specifically, it intersects with a current debate on the role of food partnerships in transitioning food systems through rescaling, by highlighting the value in more carefully considering our imagined food futures. The research makes two key original contributions. Firstly, by exploring the ‘relational triangle’ between spatial imaginaries, rescaling and transition, it sheds light on how the power of imagination and the politics of rescaling are harnessed to reconceive, shape and validate food system change. It identifies a complex and dynamic relationship between personally-held visions, written strategies and common spatial imaginaries and assesses the implications in research and practice terms. Secondly, the spatial mapping approach brings a unique dimension to exploring the visions, perspectives and actions of actors seeking change. The approach can help identify bounded thinking, avoid the pitfalls of localism and create richer and more inclusive and imaginative shared spatial visions of food system transitions.