In Between Food and Nation: negotiating Commonality in difference

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1701-2025-0006

Keywords:

Difference, power, class, national identity, gentrification, gastronomy

Abstract

Avenida Mariscal la Mar is located in the urbanization of Santa Cruz, within the popular district of Miraflores, in the city of Lima, Peru. For years, this area was considered the «red zone» of Miraflores. However, the last two decades have witnessed significant economic, social, and cultural transformations, led by an evident investment in the gastronomic sector. Today, in La Mar, the national gastronomic revolution unfolds against a background of gentrification, where restaurants shape the new profile of the avenue and change the barrio experience. Focusing on the story of Juan, a former resident of Santa Cruz, who now works in the area, this article explores the power dynamics arising in this context of change, delving into the values, limits, and meanings that inform identity practices in this setting. Specifically, this investigation analyses Juan’s personal and subjective journey through experiences of nation and class, negotiated as spatiotemporal experiences of power and difference narrated in his everyday stories of self and place.

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Author Biography

  • Denise Claux, Investigadora independiente

    Ttiene una maestría en Estudios Latinoamericanos y un doctorado en Sociología Visual por Goldsmiths, Universidad de Londres. Su trabajo de investigación explora dinámicas sociales en contextos de cambio urbano, la negociación de poder, diferencias e identidades y la sociología de la comida. Trabaja como consultora independiente.

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Published

2025-01-30

How to Cite

In Between Food and Nation: negotiating Commonality in difference. (2025). Desde El Sur, 17(1), e0006. https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1701-2025-0006

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