Food and Trauma: Anthropologies of Memory and Postmemory

Abstract

Much has been written about the multifaceted significance of food and eating from an anthropological perspective; the same can be said about the role of food in collective identity construction and nation building. In contrast, the nexus of food, memory, psychological trauma, and disordered eating has been less explored. The aim of this interdisciplinary article is to synthesize available knowledge on this topic by engaging with research literature in fields such as food history, anthropology, sociology, and psychiatry as well as autobiographical works, cookbooks, etc. One main section of the article focuses on the role of food and cooking in exile and refuge. Another section deals with the role of food in the aftermath of historical trauma, whereas a final section discusses various works on disordered eating in the wake of traumatic experiences. In sum, the dual nature of food and cooking—at once concrete and abstract, material and symbolic—offers an arena in which ambivalent memories of trauma can take on tangible form. The concept of postmemory may be useful in understanding how food and cooking can function both as a vehicle and as a remedy for intergenerational trauma.

(Food) Hoarding

“…Childhood experiences of my parents hoarding culturally appropriate Vietnamese food in fear of missing out on a sale, or not having enough to eat during times of crisis, was the norm (see Figure 5). Strand's (2023) ideas surrounding food and post memory align with the lessons my parents taught me about the act of cooking and eating together, as marginalized communities often "navigate and negotiate the family and social relations that shape [their] biographical selves" (p. 467)-and shelves. As my parents struggled to assimilate into Canadian tastes and often yearned for a connection with their homeland, they bought ingredients in bulk to prepare and save for special occasions and potential crises.…”

“…Family Food Sustainability Strand's (2023) research on food, memory, and trauma provides an insightful case study on how American veterans "described how they would continue to hoard and overeat high-calorie foods when they were no longer in the military" (p. 484). Alternatively, I can speak on the experience of having refugee parents who endured the Vietnam War (1955War ( -1975 and how postwar hoarding also manifested in their lives.…”

“…Analyzing hoarding in humans through a socio-political lens has not been common. Further extending this notion to reflect on food hoarding in particular, Strand (2023) writes that "the history of food has often offered vivid glimpses into the fabrics of historical geopolitics and cultural hybridity" (p. 470). This history could offer a more nuanced analysis of the reasons why marginalized communities may rely on hoarding.…”

Migration background, eating disorder symptoms and healthcare service utilisation: findings from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort

“…For example, the association between traumatic experiences and the development of eating disorders – and bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in particular – is well established and may account for some of the observed risk. 40 , 41 Furthermore, socioeconomic disadvantage, stress and discrimination, which are also more common among individuals with a migration background, may increase the risk of disordered eating behaviours, including those associated with obesity. 42 , 43 Hypothetically, experiences of having a physical appearance that differs from that of the White majority population may give rise to body image concerns.…”

From idioms of distress, concern, and care to moral distress leading to moral injury in the time of Covid

“… 6. Strand (2022) provides an insightful overview of how social and power relations, desires and memories, forms of resistance, and experiences of trauma are embodied and communicated through food.…”