Abstract
Culinary culture can be an important carrier of identity for diasporas. Cuisine not only reflects cultural identity, but also shapes and transforms it, which in turn influences the meanings and values attributed to different foods. The Polish diaspora in the US readily refers to traditional Polish cuisine. However, one can easily notice differences in attitudes toward ethnic foods in the case of those born in Poland and later migrant generations. The symbolic meaning of traditional cuisine is quite different for those for whom ethnic cuisine is and has been an everyday occurrence than for those for whom it has always simply been a vehicle of identity. Cuisine is particularly important for representatives of later migrant generations who do not know the Polish language and have no contact with their ancestors’ homeland. In their case, food, due to its low entry threshold, is the primary form of expression of their ethnic identity and ties to the imagined homeland. The methodology of this research primarily relied on qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews with members of the diaspora. In addition, modern research methods such as netnography and discourse analysis of online groups on social networks were applied. The research project itself is part of a broader analysis aimed at demonstrating the general mechanisms of immigrant ethnic identity formation through cuisine.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Cuisine, Ethnic Identity, Diaspora, Migrations, Food, Polonia, Poles, United States
