Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Pasta represents the use of domestic space, gender roles, town problems and political dynamics that affect Bessude daily and demonstrates the process of heritagization in action. “Women Make Them and Men Eat Them” was repeated every time I asked about Ciciones in Bessude, Sardinia. Ciciones are tiny, wheat-based gnocchi-esque pasta that are found throughout Sardinia, hand-rolled on women’s baskets to produce their unique size and shape. The pasta represents tangible and intangible cultural heritage while demonstrating the process of heritagization and globalization on micro and macro scales. A quiet and rural community, Bessude is noticeably conservative with gender roles emblematic of its primarily older and religious population. As a town with less than 400 people, Bessude is found in Meilogu, a small region plagued by depopulation due to the adverse effects of globalization. This paper demonstrates how ciciones embody many implications of Pro Locos, Sagras, and governments within towns like Bessude, regions like Meilogu, and the broader relationships they have with Sardinia, and on a national scale. In an ever-global world, it is important to focus on the local and recognize towns’ individual heritage. This paper focuses on the role of women and the creation of domestic space as a means to strengthen their communities from the 1980s to now. The ciciondoras are reinvigorating ancestral traditions for future generations and finding a nuanced balance between continuing to grow and keeping the tradition alive while facing issues of affordability, commercialization, and authenticity.