Food and Identity in South Asian Diaspora Narratives: Culinary Practices as Cultural Memory and Resistance

Abstract

This research examines the multifaceted role of food and culinary practices in South Asian diaspora narratives, focusing on literary and cinematic representations from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Through close textual analysis of selected works by diaspora writers and filmmakers, this study explores how food functions as a powerful vehicle for identity formation, cultural memory, intergenerational transmission, and resistance in diaspora contexts. The research identifies and analyzes recurring culinary tropes and metaphors in South Asian diaspora narratives, including the kitchen as a gendered space of both oppression and empowerment, food preparation as a site of cultural preservation and innovation, and commensality as a means of negotiating cultural boundaries. Employing theoretical frameworks from food studies, diaspora studies, and postcolonial theory, this investigation reveals how food narratives serve multiple purposes: they articulate complex hybrid identities, challenge cultural stereotypes, preserve ancestral memories, and create spaces for cross-cultural dialogue. The findings demonstrate that food in South Asian diaspora narratives functions not merely as cultural symbolism but as an active agent in the negotiation of diaspora identities and the creation of new cultural formations. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the embodied nature of diaspora experience and the role of everyday practices in the construction of transcultural identities.