Food, Migration, and Everyday Life: Turkish Sojourner Students in Italy

This thesis examines the daily life experiences of Turkish international students temporarily residing in Padua (Italy) through their daily food practices. In migration studies, international students are often described as sojourners, and food is approached as a daily practice shaping adaptation, identity, and emotions during migration. Relying on a qualitative and practice-based research approach, the study combines Bourdieu's concept of habitus with acculturation theory. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field observations on daily routines. The findings show that participants' daily food practices were significantly disrupted after moving to Italy. Familiar foods, and cooking practices served as sources of continuity and emotional balance. Their engagement with Italian food culture was mostly practical and depended on the situation, reflecting the temporary nature of student mobility. Overall, this study reveals the selective, reversible, and emotionally grounded character of diet-related acculturation processes among sojourner students. In this respect, it contributes theoretically and empirically to the literature on food, migration, and everyday life.

This thesis examines the daily life experiences of Turkish international students temporarily residing in Padua (Italy) through their daily food practices. International students are considered as sojourners, and food is understood as a daily practice that influences adaptation, identity, and emotions during migration. Relying on a qualitative and practice-based research approach, the study combines Bourdieu's concept of habitus with acculturation theory. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field observations on daily routines. The findings show that participants' daily food practices were significantly disrupted after moving to Italy. Familiar foods, and cooking practices served as sources of continuity and emotional balance. Their engagement with Italian food culture was mostly practical and depended on the situation, reflecting the temporary nature of student mobility. Overall, this study reveals the selective, reversible, and emotionally grounded character of diet-related acculturation processes among sojourner students. In this respect, it contributes theoretically and empirically to the literature on food, migration, and everyday life.