AAA 2024 Tampa
From production to consumption, this session will explore the diverse roles and experiences of Latinx communities within U.S. food systems while critically examining the complexities of Latinidad and its impact on knowledge production, labor, and food traditions. The five papers examine case studies across the supply chain, investigating how Latin American diaspora communities navigate these spaces and documenting the struggles they face as they cook, farm, seek a good meal, and participate in commodity fetishism. 128 Ariana Avila’s research situates farmworker experiences at the forefront of the industrialized food system and demonstrates the impact of food apartheid’s slow violence in their communities (Nixon 2013; Garth 2020; Reese 2019). Despite this form of state-violence, farmworker communities practice strategies of livability and everyday forms of care in response to food insecurity (Mares 2017; Minkoff-Zern 2014; D’Anieri 2022) through food intercambios/pataje manje or food sharing, which manifest as everyday practices of care (Aulino 2016; Sadruddin 2020). Ana Fochesatto’s ethnographic study explores the experiences of Latinx farmers and workers engaged in sustainable animal agriculture in the Midwest, showing how they navigate structural barriers and leverage their labor and agricultural knowledge to move through different roles in the food chain and improve their socio-economic conditions (Minkoff-Zern 2019, Ortiz 2020, Korsunsky 2020). From a political ecology perspective, Jake Dean explores the growing demand for mezcal in the U.S., the interaction of commercialization and ‘authenticity,’ and its impact on producers in Oaxaca–addressing the environmental stressors on agave species, soil quality, water availability, and land use. Andrew Mitchel’s research focuses on Oaxacan chefs in Columbus, Ohio and Los Angeles, California, examining their definitions of success, the adaptation of food based on consumer expectations and their continued ties to Oaxaca through culinary traditions. His work emphasizes the agency of chefs working to produce their food in diaspora while conforming to expectations of Mexican food in the U.S. (Heldke 2001; MartÃnez-Cruz 2019; Pilcher 2012). Jerry Hernandez explores the intricate relationship between identity and culinary culture in an Indianapolis youth STEM urban farm, focusing on Afro-Latinx/Latinx youth in predominantly Black communities. The paper investigates how identity shapes the context of a “good meal” and the role of cultural identities in both enriching culinary traditions and fostering inclusivity and equity in food discourse within urban spaces. Bringing together graduate student research from across the food supply chain, this panel engages a deep inquiry into the experiences of Latinx communities in U.S. food systems. The papers advocate for praxis that fosters equity and justice within food production, consumption, and identity in both rural and urban contexts across the United States.
Dr. Jeffrey Cohen and PhD candidate Andrew Mitchel both presented their research this past week at the Taste of City: Tourism, Food and Place Conference hosted by the International Business School in Manchester, UK.
Dr. Cohen presented on A Buggy Economy: The Market for Chapulines in Oaxaca, Mexico, concerning ongoing research on this economic sector in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Andrew presented on Icons of Mexicanidad: The Visions and Versions of Mexico Food Present in Columbus, Ohio, where he discussed the various symbols used to market and sell Mexican food to consumers in the Midwestern city of Columbus. You Can watch the presentations below!!