Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis analyses in what sense the culinary archive la biblioteca básica de las cocinas tradicionales colombianas [the basic library of traditional Colombian cuisine], that was erected in 2012...Show moreThis thesis analyses in what sense the culinary archive la biblioteca básica de las cocinas tradicionales colombianas [the basic library of traditional Colombian cuisine], that was erected in 2012 by the Ministry of Culture, contributes to the construction of the national identity. It evaluates the incentive behind the message of diversity and equality that is claimed to be conveyed by the archive, methodized by food genealogy and presents a menu of recipes that are subject to deconstruction. The shifting representations of the selected food practices with indigenous origins that have been subject to globalization are traced within four major historical periods and their associated dynamics: the precolonial period (original formation), the colonial era (reformation), the Republic (nationalisation), and eventually contemporary time (gentrification). Additionally, it illustrates the flaws of substantiation of the written mission of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs by placing the archive into dialogue with the hinterland of the recipes’ foodways, illustrating the dangerously fine line between gastronomic multiculturalism and culinary colonialism.Show less
