This paper, based on fieldwork performed in South West France within the frame of the ongoing European project called Food2gather, questions the role of food in the articulation of relations between migrant populations and members of majority societies, and as a tool for integration.
Paper long abstract:
The current reception conditions of asylum seekers and immigrants raise major political controversies and sociocultural concerns. In opposition to nationalisms that demand the closing of frontiers, citizens in several countries get organized around projects to support migrants. Food occupies a prominent place in many of these initiatives (refugee food festivals, cooking workshops, community gardens, food aid, shared meals, ethnic food and music events). This paper examines the role of food in the articulation of relations between migrant populations and members of the majority society in the public space, with cases in the Bordeaux metropolis and rural communities in the Gironde. The centrality of food in these enterprises gives shape to new solidarities and ideas about citizenship in our globally connected societies. Through an analysis of civic engagement at the intersection of food, migration and the public space, this paper will also examine how migrants, refugees and civil associations make use of food as a relational resource and how such initiatives foster civic engagement and mutual intercultural knowledge. While highlighting notions of identity, belonging and adaptation, the issue of integration will be discussed.