Snack time in kindergarten as a cultural practice—Implications for processes of subjectivation

Abstract

This article explores subjectivation processes in eating situations in Swiss kindergartens. On the basis of a long‐term ethnographic study and against the backdrop of the public discourse on healthy food in schools it investigates how norms and rules are being translated, shaped and performed in daily practices of un/doing difference. This ethnomethodological approach is combined with Judith Butlers deconstructionist perspective of analysing local and institutional norms of recognisability. The findings show that eating situations are highly relevant for processes of subjectivation and also bear a high potential for conflicts regarding differing cultural norms around eating.

How to do things with food: The rules and roles of mealtime ‘things’ in everyday family dinners

“…This way, 'children's behaviour, or the consequences of such behaviour, can elicit parental acts of reproach and statements of norms.' (Pontecorvo et al, 2001, p. 348), especially when food is deemed to be used to perform rule violations (Albon & Hellman, 2019;Hansen et al, 2016;Sieber Egger et al, 2021). Being a parent seems to authorise dad to attempt to set this limit.…”

“…Thus ‘specific moralities’ about health and nutrition were ‘imposed upon children's eating practices’ (Curtis et al, 2010, p. 293) by parents. Compared to other contexts, however, such as residential childcare and preschool, adults rather exercised control over children's food intake by restriction and monitoring (Dalgren, 2017; Emond et al, 2014; Esser, 2017; Sieber Egger et al, 2021). Parents, on the other hand, worked to uphold their children's mealtime wishes (James et al, 2009; Paugh & Izquierdo, 2009).…”

“…Studies on mealtimes in different contexts have, as previously stated, mainly studied food when involved in adult's concerns with children's eating practices (with notable exceptions such as: Esser, 2017; Hansen et al, 2016; Martín‐Bylund, 2018; Sieber Egger et al, 2021). There has been some consideration of the value that food can gain in those interactions, however, mainly when humans are considered to assign food with emotional and moral values such as ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious’ (Bova, 2019; Curtis et al, 2010; Ochs & Kremer‐Sadlik, 2015; Ochs & Shohet, 2006; Paugh & Izquierdo, 2009; Punch et al, 2010).…”

“…Previous studies with a more explicit focus on food and mealtime things found that cutlery and food were used to perform rules violations by children in preschool (Albon & Hellman, 2019; Dalgren, 2017; Sieber Egger et al, 2021), thereby bringing ‘norms related to proper eating manners into the situation’ (Hansen et al, 2016, p. 38). In residential childcare, food was similarly used to manage ‘prohibition, violations and control’ (Emond et al, 2014, p. 1844.…”

“…These foci are likewise present in other fields and contexts (cf. Curtis et al, 2010;Punch et al, 2010;Sieber Egger et al, 2021). Setting mealtime rules has thus been described mainly as a parental privilege and practice, while that which matters (Rautio & Jokinen, 2016) to children during mealtimes has been overlooked.…”