Paper short abstract:

In my presentation, I will share the results of an ethnographic study I conducted with a group of Polish freegans in 2021. I will focus on the question of how freegans transform (on a material as well as on a cultural level) the garbage obtained at dumpsters back into "normal" food.

Paper long abstract:

In my presentation, I will share the results of an ethnographic study I conducted in 2021 with a group of freegans in a major Polish city, Lodz. My main research problem was the matter of how freegans deal with the tension of violating culturally sanctioned categories of food and garbage - as food found in trash containers remains liminal for a while when it is recognized as edible, but it is still in a dirty environment. Using my own field material, Mary Douglas' structural theory of dirt and Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject, I will present how freegans' practices related to food gathering, processing, consumption and sharing, allow them to transform garbage obtained at dumpsters back into "normal" food. I will consider both material and social/cultural levels of this transformation process, as removing physical filth is not sufficient for get garbage-food out of liminal phase. I will also focus on showing the motivations for practicing freeganism, which go far beyond the economic issue of saving money, and are an act of manifestation against social inequalities, capitalism and the climate crisis - very important to freegans' self-identity.