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Wednesday, September 26

Food, Gender, and Media in Italy
Time:
4:36 pm
Presenter:
Fabio Parasecoli, New York University
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Year of Pitt Global, Gender Sexuality & Women's Studies Program and Chatham University Food Studies Program
Cost:
Free

Food, if interpreted just as an expression of biological needs, may come across as natural and apolitical. It does not take much to realize that food is actually profoundly entangled with power dynamics and social structures that assume immediate, tangible meanings. In its cultural and media representations, food reflects, supports, and reinforces values and practices that contribute to constructing identity, including gender.
In this talk, an analysis of media development in Italy since fascism, when Mussolini launched means of mass communication as propaganda tools, will show how producing and eating contribute to the experience of gender in Italy. These phenomena are particularly visible in Italian culture, where food plays a central role in defining individuals and communities.