African 202: We are What We Eat – Food and Identity

Food is a constant defining feature in every culture since it expresses cultural identity. Food is also a key element of the historical processes of a community since elements of a culture’s traditional cuisine are passed on through generations. Similarly, different communities have taboos and myths associated with certain foods. Food is therefore used to exert control at the family and community levels where age and gender are some constructs used as determinants. This course invites the student to interrogate culinary practices and their influences on the self and the community. It incorporates elements of culture and history to explore how factors such as geography, politics, traditions, socio-economic practices, education, and gender define the culinary practices of different communities that represent Africa and the African Diaspora’s diverse cultures and others represented within and without class. In doing so, the student uses introspection/reflexivity, retrospection, and analysis of texts to identify how food defines people.