Food Fights: War Narratives and Identity Reproduction in Evolving Conflicts
Principal Investigator: Hanna Kassab, East Carolina University
Years of Award: 2023-2026
Managing Service Agency: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Project Description:
Since the end of the Cold War, nationalist conflicts have been on the rise. In a world full of cultural differences, food is often what brings us all together. We break bread to recognize each other’s humanity. Unfortunately, hatred for other cultures also surfaces in food culture wars in which groups fight to retain sole ownership, including the tension over patenting, of cuisine. This struggle is oftentimes part of a much wider nationalist or cultural conflict. Take, for example, hummus and its role in the perpetuation of Israeli and Arab identities. The Lebanese argue that the Israelis are stealing Middle Eastern food to call it their own: they stole our lands; now they want our food too, while some Israelis claim it as their national dish. The hummus conflict perpetuates decades-old hatreds, reinforcing us versus them divisions.