Food and the performance of social class in emerging adulthood

详细信息   

• 作者：Hoffman ; Brigid
• 学历：Master
• 年：2014
• 关键词：Social sciences ; Communication and the arts ; Psychol
• 导师：Prentice,Carolyn
• 毕业院校：University of South Dakota
• Department：Communication Studies
• 专业：Social research;Social psychology;Communication;Developmental psychology;Individual & family studies
• ISBN：9781321326581
• CBH：1568762
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：2082300
• Pages：99

文摘

Social class is a fluid,ambiguous aspect of identity. It is possible to perform social class by using various communicative markers such as language and clothing. Food is also considered to be one of the markers of social class membership. The food choices one makes indicate both one's social class membership,but also the social class that one aspires to be in. Through a qualitative interview study with 58 college students,how food choices reflect a social class performance in emerging adulthood is explored. Emerging adulthood is a formative time of development during the transition from adolescence into adulthood,when values and identities are established. Aspiring to a certain class is part of this identity transition,specifically an aspiration to be middle class by attaining a college education. It is found that talk about food choices indicates a performance of middle class identity among these emerging adults regardless of their social class background. This is achieved by discussions of time,freedom of choice,balance and moderation,familiarity with food,gendered notions of food,and food as a connector. Class-based judgements about others based on their food choice also emerge in discussion about food choice.