The polysemic meanings of couscous consumption in France
Résumé
This article reflects on consumer representations of a typical southern Mediterranean dish that
has remained a centerpiece of cultural encounters ever since it was developed in North Africa:
couscous. France – a country whose own cuisine is world-renowned, yet which regularly
ranks couscous as one of its top three favorite national dishes, and which hosts the largest
North African population in Europe – seemed a fertile site for an investigation of the
polysemic meanings attached to couscous, a nomad product embedded in socio-historical
interrelationships on both shores of the Mediterranean. We found that consumers appropriate
and adapt the product in ways that demonstrate some of the major features of Mediterranean
relationships, with food as a vehicle for creative personal narratives. We emphasize the
diversity of representations of couscous that help dissolve the usual northern/southern
Mediterranean binaries in order to achieve a complex understanding of Mediterranean
consumer behaviors.
Domaines
Gestion et managementOrigine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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