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Event

Food and Memory Across Eras: from Nazi Concentration Camps to Contemporary Prisons in Italy and Brazil

Event information>

Dates
Time
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Location

Online- via Zoom

Institute

Institute of Historical Research

Event type

Seminar

Event series

Food History

Speakers

Gaia Messori (University of Parma)

Contact

Email only

The key words of the present research project are the following: food, humanity, memory and forgetfulness. In this specific case, those four key words are analyzed within tree contexts definable as “total institutions” (Goffman): Nazi concentration and extermination camps; Italian and Brazilian prison’s system. In this context, the concept of humanity is linked to a specific element: FOOD. Food dreamed of, desired, denied; food that in turn is viscerally linked to another factor: MEMORY. What does man become without food? He remains a human being but loses that which makes him alive and dignified; it is no coincidence that forced and prolonged deprivation of food is famously recognized as one of the worst forms of torture ever. In relation to the concentration and extermination camps during the period of World War II, food turned out to be doubly "interpretable". As for prisons, again food is linked to humanity, more specifically to human dignity in relation to the quality and quantity of food offered in places of confinement. Just like speech, food, memory, and forgetfulness are related and tell the stories of these men and women. In this peculiar scenario, food reveals significant practices and rituals, not only for maintaining life, but also as a privileged form of language for accessing memories and stories, which become historical, symbolic, and cultural expressions. Food then, following these perspectives, becomes a feeder of justice and injustice, giving and taking away dignity depending on how it is used. The methodological research is of qualitative nature, conducted through direct interviews with inmates and former inmates as well as Holocaust survivors and analysis of diaries and writings from that historical period.  

All welcome - This event is free, but booking is required.

This page was last updated on 20 January 2025