A Food Nation Without Culinary Heritage? Gastronationalism in Sweden
Jönsson, Håkan LU
(2020)
In Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism
4(4).
p.223-237
- Abstract
- Promoting the culinary profile of a nation is a commonly used tool when marketing the food, drink, and culinary tourism sectors of a country. Different versions of gastronationalism (i.e., images of the culinary excellence of a nation) appear in this context. This article explores Swedish gastronationalism. The aim is to nuance and widen the discussion of gastronationalism by offering a historic contextualization and a focus on frictions in the national narrative. Based on a bricolage of ethnographic material—interviews, observations, archive material and official documents—the article takes a historical approach to explore the attempts to develop a new culinary nation. Specific focus is devoted to the absence of culinary heritage. The... (More)
- Promoting the culinary profile of a nation is a commonly used tool when marketing the food, drink, and culinary tourism sectors of a country. Different versions of gastronationalism (i.e., images of the culinary excellence of a nation) appear in this context. This article explores Swedish gastronationalism. The aim is to nuance and widen the discussion of gastronationalism by offering a historic contextualization and a focus on frictions in the national narrative. Based on a bricolage of ethnographic material—interviews, observations, archive material and official documents—the article takes a historical approach to explore the attempts to develop a new culinary nation. Specific focus is devoted to the absence of culinary heritage. The results show that Swedish gastronationalism consists of a specific view of nationality, where progress, innovativeness, and multiculturalism is highlighted, and heritage and tradition is downplayed. As a result, Sweden has developed a postnationalist gastronationalism. The article traces the roots of this phenomenon to a combination of structures and habits from the time of rationing (1914–1955) and the new national narrative that coincided with the gastronomic revolution starting in the mid-1980s. In conclusion, the article argues that while many versions of gastronationalism use heritagization as a strategy, Sweden attempts to deheritagize the culinary profile of the nation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5b908cce-0e35-43ee-b54e-78755e4374b4
- author
- Jönsson, Håkan
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-08-14
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- SWEDISH FOOD CULTURE, GASTRONATIONALISM, NEW NORDIC CUISINE, CULINARY HERITAGE;, culinary heritage, gastronationalism, new nordic cuisine, swedish food culture
- in
- Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 15 pages
- publisher
- Cognizant Communication Corporation
- ISSN
- 2169-2971
- DOI
- 10.3727/216929720X15846938924076
- project
- The gastronomic revolution in Sweden since 1980
- Meals in the Experience Economy - a study of the meal order in Swedish households
- Cultures of Consumption
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5b908cce-0e35-43ee-b54e-78755e4374b4
- date added to LUP
- 2020-09-01 19:52:33
- date last changed
- 2020-09-03 02:26:12
@article{5b908cce-0e35-43ee-b54e-78755e4374b4,
abstract = {{Promoting the culinary profile of a nation is a commonly used tool when marketing the food, drink, and culinary tourism sectors of a country. Different versions of gastronationalism (i.e., images of the culinary excellence of a nation) appear in this context. This article explores Swedish gastronationalism. The aim is to nuance and widen the discussion of gastronationalism by offering a historic contextualization and a focus on frictions in the national narrative. Based on a bricolage of ethnographic material—interviews, observations, archive material and official documents—the article takes a historical approach to explore the attempts to develop a new culinary nation. Specific focus is devoted to the absence of culinary heritage. The results show that Swedish gastronationalism consists of a specific view of nationality, where progress, innovativeness, and multiculturalism is highlighted, and heritage and tradition is downplayed. As a result, Sweden has developed a postnationalist gastronationalism. The article traces the roots of this phenomenon to a combination of structures and habits from the time of rationing (1914–1955) and the new national narrative that coincided with the gastronomic revolution starting in the mid-1980s. In conclusion, the article argues that while many versions of gastronationalism use heritagization as a strategy, Sweden attempts to deheritagize the culinary profile of the nation.}},
author = {{Jönsson, Håkan}},
issn = {{2169-2971}},
keywords = {{SWEDISH FOOD CULTURE; GASTRONATIONALISM; NEW NORDIC CUISINE; CULINARY HERITAGE;; culinary heritage; gastronationalism; new nordic cuisine; swedish food culture}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{223--237}},
publisher = {{Cognizant Communication Corporation}},
series = {{Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism}},
title = {{A Food Nation Without Culinary Heritage? Gastronationalism in Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/216929720X15846938924076}},
doi = {{10.3727/216929720X15846938924076}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2020}},
}