Abstract
This chapter explores the (re)creation, (re)inscription, and dissemination of Somali nationhood vis-a-vis diverse culinary foodways utilized by its global diasporic communities. It explores the tension between the marvelously hybrid culinary profile of Somalia with its need to imagine a unified identity that will serve to etch the contours of a recognizable modern nation-state to both its own diasporic citizenry as well as to new, non-Somali-origin food consumers situated in the various international sites of community and consumption. The chapter also demonstrates that, by deploying creative nostalgia, Somali diasporic content creators find personalized pathways to steer away from the damaging effects of digital culinary production and dissemination, such as extreme commodification, cultural appropriation, and disregard for the value of labor. The dazzling diversity of media used to communicate culinary knowledge mirrors Somali cuisine’s hybrid and inclusive profile, revealing the adaptability and openness between first-, second-, and even third-generation immigrants, and between diasporic communities and their neighbors, friends, and collaborators.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Longing for the Future |
| Subtitle of host publication | Mal D’Afrique and Afro-Optimism in Perspectives on Somalia |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 48-60 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781003807575 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032254289 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2023 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities