ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the food production, distribution, and consumption industries in unprecedented ways. As food continues to play a fundamental role in identity representation processes and identity change, it becomes essential to understand how the pandemic and the resulting crisis have impacted the lives and professional activities of those who place food at the center of their identity. Through the analysis of personal narratives produced by Italian participants, this contribution aims to describe the way Covid-19 has influenced both professionals’ and food amateurs’ identity representations and their resistance strategies to the negative outcomes of the pandemic. The analysis shows that the pandemic has produced dynamics of radicalization of the participants’ identities as well as strategic and optimistic compliance. These observations lay the foundations for a deeper understanding of the Covid-19 food industry crisis and the role that food narratives play during periods of emotional turmoil and economic uncertainty.

摘要

Covid-19 大流行以前所未有的方式影响了食品生产、分销和消费行业。随着食物在身份表征过程和身份变化中继续发挥基本作用，了解大流行和由此产生的危机如何影响将食物置于身份中心的人们的生活和职业活动变得至关重要。通过对意大利参与者的个人叙述进行分析，本文旨在描述 Covid-19 对专业人士和食品爱好者的身份表征及其对大流行负面结果的抵抗策略的影响方式。分析表明，大流行已经产生了参与者身份激进化以及战略和乐观合规的动态。