"It's Just Food": A Study of the Foodways of Chin Refugees in America
Loading...
Authors
Flanigan, Gregory
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
As an ethnic minority the Chin people of Burma have faced a variety of
influences, pressures, attacks, and struggles for centuries at the hands of both
.foreign and internal powers. The Chin's distinct identity and lifestyle applies also to
the foods they eat and the practices that surround what they consume. As
extensively analyzed by previous research, foodways act as a marker of one's ethnic
identity but such a bond is subject to change particularly in cases of diaspora. Based
upon ethnographic semi-structured interviews with Chin refugees in Maryland and
the pre-existing literature regarding ethnic identity and food ways, along with the
immigrant experience, this paper seeks to analyze to what extent have Chin refugees
maintained their ethnic foodways whilst in America. Like diaspora communities
before them, Chin refugees face a variety of influences that work to alter their food
practices, thus creating a new hybrid identity that acknowledges their Burmese
homeland whilst adapting to their new American environment.
Description
v, 63 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.