Research Article

Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature

Number: 60 December 31, 2023
Giulia Tarantino

Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature

Abstract

This manuscript explores the connection between cultural identity and food in relation to the Italian American experience, placing a particular emphasis on the metamorphosis underwent by the latter, from comforting element to stigma and vice versa. The peculiarity of this work lies in considering the topic from a literary perspective. Through the analysis of the literary works produced by authors like Helen Barolini, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and Jerry Mangione, this work reconstructs the way in which the perception of food has changed from the first to the latest generations. As the works cited suggest, the complex relationship between Italian Americans and food is not a newly discovered subject of interest. Nevertheless, the studies around the changes that this relationship has undergone are not exactly extensive. For this reason, the manuscript aims to provide valuable evidence on the crucial role played by food in defining Italian American identity.

Keywords

: Diasporic food, food and stigma, generational gap, hyphenated community, identity

References

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  6. Cinotto, Simone. “Leonard Covello, the Covello Papers, and the History of Eating Habits among Italian Immigrants in New York.” The Journal o f American History, vol. 91, no. 2, 2004, pp. 497521.
  7. ---. Una famiglia che mangia insieme. Cibo ed etnicita nella comunita italoamericana di New York, 1920-1940. Otto, 2001.
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  10. De Lucia, Christine. “‘Negotiating the Hyphen’: An Evolving Definition of Italian-American Identity.” Italian Americana, vol. 22, no.2, 2004, pp. 201-7.
APA
Tarantino, G. (2023). Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 60, 43-60. https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU
AMA
1.Tarantino G. Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature. JAST. 2023;(60):43-60. https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU
Chicago
Tarantino, Giulia. 2023. “Dining With the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, nos. 60: 43-60. https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU.
EndNote
Tarantino G (December 1, 2023) Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature. Journal of American Studies of Turkey 60 43–60.
IEEE
[1]G. Tarantino, “Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature”, JAST, no. 60, pp. 43–60, Dec. 2023, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU
ISNAD
Tarantino, Giulia. “Dining With the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey. 60 (December 1, 2023): 43-60. https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU.
JAMA
1.Tarantino G. Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature. JAST. 2023;:43–60.
MLA
Tarantino, Giulia. “Dining With the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature”. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, no. 60, Dec. 2023, pp. 43-60, https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU.
Vancouver
1.Giulia Tarantino. Dining with the Authors: Food and Cultural Identity in Italian American Literature. JAST [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 1;(60):43-60. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA26WN93CU