Colombian boys and girls in the US. Agency, identities and cultural changes around food
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X.1059Keywords:
Migration, anthropology of children, food, creolizationAbstract
Based on a participatory ethnographic study, conducted between 2003 and 2004 in Tampa, Florida, with Colombian boys and girls ages 7 to 12 years old, this article explores the relationship among migration, childhood, agency, food and culture. The main idea is that children are agents and actors building identities that are expressed in their food practices and preferences. Like in a creolization phenomenon, immigrants mix cultural elements from their original region in Colombia with those encountered in the US context, producing new and different cultural meanings and symbols. I highlight the importance of developing anthropological studies that enable us to recognize the subtleties of the experiences of the immigrants, as well as recognize and value children as agents building cultures and identities
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