Paper Short Abstract:

Commencing with a reflection on the role of food as a tool for agency, power, and emancipation among African migrant women in Naples, the presentation delves into the story of a well-known activist within migrant communities in the city—an Ivorian woman who plays a central role in my fieldwork.

Paper Abstract:

My presentation will recount the life stories of African migrant women that I have been collecting over the past four years during my fieldwork in the city of Naples, with a specific focus on women's food practices as a key element in the homemaking processes within migrant communities. I will begin with a reflection on the role of food as a tool for agency, power, and emancipation for migrant women from West Africa living in the city. Subsequently, I will present the specific case and life story of Fatou, a woman from the Ivory Coast who, besides playing a pivotal role in my fieldwork as my gatekeeper and principal interlocutor, is a well-known activist and supporter of diverse migrant collectivities present in the territory. In the past few years, Fatou has been the promoter and organizer of several transnational cooperation projects and initiatives between her country of origin and Naples, which has been her second home for the past twenty years. Fatou, along with some other women I have encountered so far, serves as an exceptional example of strength, tenacity, resistance, and positivity within a hostile and male-centered environment.