States of Subsistence by Jos Ciro Martnez - 9781503630369

States of SubsistenceThe Politics of Bread in Contemporary Jordan\nAuthor(s): Jos Ciro Martnez\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Stanford University Press, United States\nImprint: Stanford University Press\nISBN-13: 9781503630369, 978-1503630369\nSynopsis\nOn any given day in Jordan, more than nine million residents eat approximately ten million loaves of khubz 'arabithe slightly leavened flatbread known to many as pita. Some rely on this bread to avoid starvation; for others it is a customary pleasure. Yet despite its ubiquity in accounts of Middle East politics and society, rarely do we consider how bread is prepared, consumed, discussed, and circulatedand what this all represents. With this book, Jos Ciro Martnez examines khubz 'arabi to unpack the effects of the welfare program that ensures its widespread availability.\n\n Drawing on more than a year working as a baker in Amman, Martnez probes the practices that underpin subsidized bread. Following bakers and bureaucrats, he offers a.