Individual Paper
8. Negotiating Margins: Representations, Resistances, Agencies
Food is a salient marker of cultural identity and socio-historical lineage in the contemporary digital milieu. This research undertakes a critical content analysis approach to investigate the digital content of 10 eminent food vloggers on YouTube, each with a subscriber base exceeding one million. The primary aim was to catalog the spectrum of cuisines presented. However, a deeper analysis revealed a significant interplay between indigenous culinary practices, globalization’s overarching forces, and exogenous culinary introductions. Preliminary findings indicate that while there is an evident inclination towards global and avant-garde dishes, there is a deliberate and strategic emphasis on local cuisine, often portrayed as a repository of authenticity and cultural continuity. These indigenous culinary items, deeply embedded in regional histories and traditions, are frequently contrasted with exogenous dishes, constructing a narrative of coexistence, resistance, and commodification. This rigorous study elucidates the nuanced interplay between preservation and adaptation in the digital culinary landscape, contributing to the academic discourse on how gastronomic identities are constructed and negotiated in an era of global interconnectedness.
Co-author 1:
M. Alie Humaedi, Research Center for Social Welfare, Village, and Connectivity - BRIN
Co-author 2:
Purnama Alamsyah, Research Center for Social Welfare, Village, and Connectivity - BRIN
Gustaf Wijaya
Research Center for Social Welfare, Village, and Connectivity - BRIN, Indonesia