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Global Somali Diasporic Foodways
This completed project explores the (re)creation, (re)inscription, and dissemination of Somali nationhood vis-à-vis diverse culinary foodways utilized by its global diasporic communities. Via an analysis of a diverse range of digital culinary representations, this project demonstrates that Somali diasporic cuisine is an excellent case study for a better understanding of food as a vector of national identity in a transnational context.
This research argues that the cultural/artistic/culinary process of what Prof. Nathan calls “creative nostalgia” leads to the intermingling of (hi)stories and foods. This creative process mirrors the transcultural mix of ingredients and flavor principles of Somali cuisine itself and also reflects the hybridity of media (Whatsapp, TikTok, cookbooks, TV shows) utilized to create and share recipes, techniques, and etiquette.
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Please see the full book chapter that relates and narrates the finding of this project here.
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One of the chapter's main findings is that:
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"Somali diasporic cuisine is an excellent case study for a better understanding of food as a vector of national identity in a transnational context. The process of creative nostalgia that leads to the intermingling of (hi)stories and foods mirrors the complex mix of ingredients and flavor principles of the cuisine itself that, in turn, reflects the hybridity
of media utilized to create and share recipes, techniques, and etiquette. Whether it is through a “grammable” image, a recited YouTube video of a television show, a Facebook post, or a cookbook, these diasporic culinary content creators, both professional and non, are actively imagining a past, present, and future for a dispersed yet deeply connected community."
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