Food and Identity Soul Food and African American Identity

taboo A term in the anthropology of religion that refers to a ritual prohibition

Differing Interpretations Durkheim: A form of social control Radcliffe-Brown: Manipulation of sentiments Levi-Strauss: A system of classification (a division between the permitted and prohibited)

Structures of Signification Metaphor (resemblance) Metonymy (association, part for whole) Symbol (arbitrary) Soul food as a sign subject to the social struggles and historical shifts. From pollution to racial pride to health liability.

A System of Classification Polynesian word Ta (to mark) + pu (with emphasis) Not necessarily a negative thing, but a ritually powerful one Ritual pollution is not about “filth” but about “matter out of place” (Mary Douglas) A form of “tending” that maintains the cosmic balance.

Food and Culture Food carries cultural meaning But these meanings are not stable They are open to history and are subject to social struggles The historical shift from racial separatism in Black Islam (1960s) to post-civil rights multiculturalism (1990s) The meanings of soul food shifted over time.

A Taboo on Slave Foods Collard Greens Pork These foods have a metonymic (part for whole) association with the history of slavery But there is a counter-narrative: These foods are what sustained people through times of oppression. The connection to Africa after Alex Haley’s Roots.

Food Ideologies In contemporary America, diet is highly politicized. Fusing notions of health with virtue (R&H, page 230) How we eat is linked to notions of embodiment (how we try to instantiate with our bodies certain valued states through the foods we consume). Food taboos mark social boundaries, but they also define the body as a sovereign space.

Technologies of the Self Practices that produce the self as a particular kind of person (the self works on the self as a project). Islam as a religion of uplift through discipline In response to the denigration of black bodies as uncivilized and undisciplined But also as a means to combat addictions to drugs and alcohol Now the focus is on the obesogenic environment in food deserts. Seattle’s Clean Greens Project: contact with the earth is healing not demeaning.

Discussion Points In what ways might food have a Race? Gender? Class? Ethnicity? For these women, how might Islam be experienced as a form of empowerment, rather than domination? Do you practice food taboos? What do these practices express in terms of their meaning for you or the community you identify with? How do they produce ethical selves?

Gastronomic Corner The health benefits of animal fats. Lard is not just saturated fat. Saturated fats are also needed to maintain good health. What has happened to animal fats to make them so unhealthy? CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) CAFO production is an issue for public health, environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and the nutritional value of food.

Safety Store your gear in the kitchen office. Slick floors. Rubber-soled shoes. Knife safety RQhttp:// RQ First aid supplies for cut fingers will be available. Hand washing at one of the sanitation stations. Food handlers’ gloves, especially if feeling a cold coming on.

Small Work Groups Organize your group. Assign one person to pick up your ingredients and another to pick up your tools. Try to keep the chaos to a minimum Make sure everybody gets a hand in preparing and cooking. Make sure clean up happens as you go, returning tools and extra ingredients to where you found them. Tools marked with yellow tape belong to me. Bring containers for leftovers!!! This will help with cleanup. We don’t want to throw good food away. If you can stay a little longer to help me with cleanup, I would be very grateful.

First Paper Prompt on course website Change in due date From midnight Thursday to midnight Friday. Try to draw in the experience of cooking together into your writing.