Memory, food, and ethnicities

Abstract

Within the locus eloquentia of gender studies and memory, this article presents some discussion on the quotidian and cooking on a number of rural roads in the area of Joinville city, northeastern Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Face the new concerns on cultural heritage preservation, as well as the relation between tourism and cultural policies, it is appropriate to question how different inhabitants have been (re)building meanings about the city, a space that is per se privileged, in order to add in quotidian life other narratives on heritage and “ways of doing” things. It is important to highlight that this city has been colonized after 1851, mostly by German immigrants; however, in contemporary times it gathers (im)migrants from several other areas, presenting a cultural diversity which often is based on the view of cooking as “typical of German immigrants” as a significant element in the municipal identity. Therefore, we seek to understand this issue departing from Oral History methodologies, particularly from female memories as well as Joinville city cultural heritage aspects, in order to contribute to the various reflections on cultural heritage in the region, and its relation to cultural policies.

Key words: memory, food, ethnicities.