Material, Linguistic, and Cultural Influences in the Production of Heritage Food

Jillian R.博士卡瓦诺、布鲁克林学院和纽约市立大学研究生中心将进行研究，探讨当地重要或“遗产”食品的生产和需求如何影响文化和政治经济变革。近年来，各种特色食品-当地的、有机的、可持续的、传统的-对于理解与全球化相关的文化和经济变革变得越来越重要;然而，并非所有属于这些类别的食品都享有同样类型的文化和经济成功。这项研究将调查日常食品成为成功的商品以及当地遗产和传统的象征所需的不同类型的劳动。该项目将重点关注北方意大利当地食品生产商的工作，以及帮助他们的食品活动家和政府官员，以研究为什么人们投资于他们的过去，以便在现在和未来繁荣。该项目将采用一系列社会科学研究方法，包括参与者观察、自然发生的谈话和公共事件的录音、访谈以及文献实践的收集和分析。实地研究将在农场、加工厂、政府办公室和遗产活动等多个地点进行，为社会科学文献做出贡献，这些文献探讨了企业家如何在保护遗产和文化以及经济动机的驱动下做出选择。该项目还将促进国际科学合作，并帮助培养本科生和研究生。这项研究的结果将加深人们对粮食生产如何成为当今关于粮食价值和意义的一系列重要辩论的一部分的理解。

Dr. Jillian R. Cavanaugh, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center CUNY, will conduct research exploring how the production of and demand for locally-important, or "heritage" foods, influences cultural and political economic change. Recently, various types of specialty foods - local, organic, sustainable, heritage - have become increasingly important for understanding the cultural and economic transformations associated with globalization; yet not all foods that fall in these categories enjoy the same type of cultural and economic success. The research will investigate the different types of labor that are required for everyday foods to become both successful commodities as well as emblems of local heritage and tradition. This project will focus on the work of local food producers in Northern Italy, as well as the food activists and government officials who aid them, in order to examine why people invest in their past in order to prosper in the present and future. The project will employ a range of social science research methods, including participant observation, audio-recording of naturally occurring conversation and public events, interviews, and the collection and analysis of documentary practices. Field research will take place across a variety of sites, including farms, processing plants, government offices, and heritage events.This research will contribute to social scientific literature that has explored how entrepreneurs make choices that are driven by concerns about the preservation of heritage and culture, as well as by economic motivations. This project will also promote international scientific collaborations, and aid in the training of undergraduate and graduate students. The results of this research will deepen understandings of how food production has become part of a range of important debates about the value and meaning of food today.