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Eating alone or together? Commensality among Ghanaians in London
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Tuomainen, Helena (2015) Eating alone or together? Commensality among Ghanaians in London. Anthropology of Food, Volume 14 . Article number S10. ISSN 1609-9168.
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Official URL: http://aof.revues.org/7718
Abstract
Eating together, or commensality, signifies unity and sharing in most cultural contexts. The concern for the fate of meals is associated with the apparent descent of shared family meals as a central element of family life, around which family is reproduced, suggesting a loosening of family ties and an upheaval of social life in general. Yet, latest research into and writing about commensality has been mainly on Western populations. This paper broadens the perspective by examining the social context of eating in a diasporic West African community. It compares eating arrangements among Ghanaians in London with their past practices prior to migration. While commensality is of essence among many ethnic minority communities, the Ghanaian family meal is possible without company, and in line with kinship and household structures and patterns in Ghana. The lack of concern for shared family meals enables the unity of family and community in the diasporic community. The notion of the ‘family meal’ appears to be ethnocentrically Western.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Mental Health and Wellbeing Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School |
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Journal or Publication Title: | Anthropology of Food | ||||||
Publisher: | International Commission on the Anthropology of Food | ||||||
ISSN: | 1609-9168 | ||||||
Official Date: | 20 April 2015 | ||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 14 | ||||||
Article Number: | Article number S10 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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