Eating Discourse: Food Practices as Cultural Negotiation in Diasporic Communities

This thesis examines the intersection of food practices and cultural negotiation within diasporic communities, exploring how culinary traditions serve as a medium for identity construction, memory preservation, and cross-cultural exchange. Drawing from semiotic, sociolinguistic, and anthropological frameworks, the research delves into how food functions as both a material and symbolic resource. Using semi-structured interviews and case studies of individuals from Palestinian and Sri Lankan diasporic communities in Italy, the study employs the SPEAKING-and-FEEDING model to analyze food-related interactions. It reveals how participants use culinary practices to preserve cultural heritage, adapt to new environments, and foster community bonds. The findings highlight the dual role of food as a site of cultural continuity and transformation. While some traditions are retained with minimal change, others are pragmatically adapted to fit new contexts, underscoring food’s role as a dynamic, malleable system akin to language. This work also explores the political and social implications of foodways, considering how culinary spaces serve as venues for storytelling, activism, and cultural preservation. Through detailed analysis of the material and semiotic aspects of food practices, this thesis contributes to broader discussions on the interplay between identity, memory, and community in diasporic settings, emphasizing the centrality of food as a communicative and cultural tool.