Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial
This essay explores a relatively unexamined dimension of the discourse on nation and family in late nineteenth century India—the key emphasis laid on health in the configuration of a new, “modern” family as the basis of a healthy nation—and the importance of the accomplished mistress as the guardian...
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| Format: | Online |
| Langue: | espagnol |
| Éditeur: |
El Colegio de México
2015
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| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | https://estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx/index.php/eaa/article/view/2041 |
| Institution: |
Estudios de Asia y África |
| authentication_code | dc |
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| _version_ | 1844256219594752000 |
| author | Banerjee, Ishita |
| author_facet | Banerjee, Ishita |
| author_sort | Banerjee, Ishita |
| category_str_mv |
"Bolivia", "hyperinflation", "economic crisis", "Bolivia", "hiperinflación", "crisis económica"
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| collection | OJS |
| description | This essay explores a relatively unexamined dimension of the discourse on nation and family in late nineteenth century India—the key emphasis laid on health in the configuration of a new, “modern” family as the basis of a healthy nation—and the importance of the accomplished mistress as the guardian of the family’s health and hygiene. This innovative focus enables a distinct reading of the nationalist discourse and provides elements which can be used to interrogate the concept of gender as necessarily framing relations between the binary of men and women. The importance ascribed to food, in particular healthy food, resulted in the evolution of a “modern” cuisine as men and women participated enthusiastically in the project of producing nutritive and delectable food for a healthy family. At the same time, the distinct ways men and women gave expression to their efforts underscored the discreet notions of authority, education, family, food, health and domestic economy, as well as women’s role that underlay such articulations. By means of a close reading of early cookbooks in Bengali written by women and men, columns on food in journals run by women, and domestic manuals authored by men, the essay contends that health and nutrition enabled men and women to develop a novel discourse on the family, where husband and wife often collaborated to establish their authority vis-à-vis male and female elders in an extended family. This included a move to over-write the extended family with that of a nuclear one. Educated women, in turn, creatively applied notions of love, beauty, nurture and care to legitimize their claims as the true mistress of this new, model family. At the same time, claims over healthy and savory food brought women—in columns of journals—in competition with one another over authenticity and food value, as well as thrift in the execution of their tried and tested recipes. In a similar manner, women authors of cookbooks engaged in rivalry with their male counterparts in order to establish their superior knowledge in matters related to home and family. A careful analysis of such criss-crossing turf battles permits a reading in which gender emerges as a fluid and shifting category that embodies many meanings, and gets restructured in distinct ways. Rather than a simple tale of men versus women engaged in constant combat, on offer are nuanced stories of male and female identities in processes of getting constructed contingently in relation to men and women and women and men, elders and rivals, inside and outside the family. This lays the ground for an interrogation of the limiting, understanding by “default” of “gender” as constitutive of relations only between men and women, and opens up the possibility of rethinking this complex social concept from a distinct location. |
| format | Online |
| id | oai:oai.estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx:article-2041 |
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| journal | Estudios de Asia y África |
| language | spa |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | El Colegio de México |
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| Terms_governing_use_and_reproduction_note | Derechos de autor 2015 Estudios de Asia y África |
| data_source_entry/ISSN | Estudios de Asia y África; Vol. 50, No. 3 (158), September-December, 2015; 593 - 620 Estudios de Asia y África; Vol. 50, núm. 3 (158), septiembre-diciembre, 2015; 593 - 620 2448-654X 0185-0164 |
| spelling | oai:oai.estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx:article-20412025-09-01T18:19:13Z Modern Menus: Food, Family, Health and Gender in Colonial Bengal Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial Banerjee, Ishita gender nation family food health género nación familia comida salud This essay explores a relatively unexamined dimension of the discourse on nation and family in late nineteenth century India—the key emphasis laid on health in the configuration of a new, “modern” family as the basis of a healthy nation—and the importance of the accomplished mistress as the guardian of the family’s health and hygiene. This innovative focus enables a distinct reading of the nationalist discourse and provides elements which can be used to interrogate the concept of gender as necessarily framing relations between the binary of men and women. The importance ascribed to food, in particular healthy food, resulted in the evolution of a “modern” cuisine as men and women participated enthusiastically in the project of producing nutritive and delectable food for a healthy family. At the same time, the distinct ways men and women gave expression to their efforts underscored the discreet notions of authority, education, family, food, health and domestic economy, as well as women’s role that underlay such articulations. By means of a close reading of early cookbooks in Bengali written by women and men, columns on food in journals run by women, and domestic manuals authored by men, the essay contends that health and nutrition enabled men and women to develop a novel discourse on the family, where husband and wife often collaborated to establish their authority vis-à-vis male and female elders in an extended family. This included a move to over-write the extended family with that of a nuclear one. Educated women, in turn, creatively applied notions of love, beauty, nurture and care to legitimize their claims as the true mistress of this new, model family. At the same time, claims over healthy and savory food brought women—in columns of journals—in competition with one another over authenticity and food value, as well as thrift in the execution of their tried and tested recipes. In a similar manner, women authors of cookbooks engaged in rivalry with their male counterparts in order to establish their superior knowledge in matters related to home and family. A careful analysis of such criss-crossing turf battles permits a reading in which gender emerges as a fluid and shifting category that embodies many meanings, and gets restructured in distinct ways. Rather than a simple tale of men versus women engaged in constant combat, on offer are nuanced stories of male and female identities in processes of getting constructed contingently in relation to men and women and women and men, elders and rivals, inside and outside the family. This lays the ground for an interrogation of the limiting, understanding by “default” of “gender” as constitutive of relations only between men and women, and opens up the possibility of rethinking this complex social concept from a distinct location. Este ensayo examina una dimensión relativamente inexplorada del discurso de nación y familia en la India de finales del siglo XIX. El interés se centra en la salud en la configuración de una familia nueva, “moderna”, como la base de una nación sana, y la importancia del ama de casa ágil como guardián de la salud y la higiene de la familia. Este enfoque innovador posibilita una lectura distinta del discurso nacionalista y proporciona elementos para interrogar el concepto de género como encuadre necesario de las relaciones entre el binario de hombres y mujeres. La importancia dada a la comida, en particular a la comida saludable, resultó en la evolución a una cocina “moderna”, mientras que hombres y mujeres participaban entusiastamente en el proyecto de producir comida nutritiva y deleitable para una familia sana. Al mismo tiempo, las formas en que hombres y mujeres dieron expresión a sus esfuerzos evidencian las nociones discretas de autoridad, educación, familia, comida, salud y economía doméstica, así como el papel de las mujeres que subyace en dichas articulaciones. Por medio de una lectura atenta de los primeros libros de cocina en bengalí escritos por hombres y mujeres, de columnas sobre comida en periódicos manejados por mujeres y manuales domésticos cuyos autores fueron hombres, el ensayo sostiene que la salud y la nutrición permitieron a hombres y mujeres construir un nuevo discurso sobre la familia, en el que marido y mujer colaboraron frecuentemente para establecer su autoridad frente a hombres y mujeres de la generación anterior en una familia extendida. Esto incluyó un movimiento para sustituir la familia extendida con la familia nuclear. Las mujeres educadas, a su vez, aplicaron creativamente nociones de amor, belleza, nutrición y cuidado para legitimar sus reivindicaciones como las verdaderas amas de casa de esta nueva familia modelo. Al mismo tiempo, las exigencias de una comida saludable y sabrosa llevaron a las mujeres a competir —en las columnas de revistas— unas con otras acerca de la autenticidad y el valor de la comida, así como del ahorro en la ejecución de sus recetas ya experimentadas y probadas. De manera similar, las autoras de libros de cocina entraron en rivalidad con su contraparte masculina para establecer su superioridad de conocimiento en materia del hogar y la familia. Un análisis cuidadoso de dichas batallas entrecruzadas permite una lectura en la que el género emerge como una categoría fluida y cambiante, que encarna muchos significados y que pronto se desestructura y reestructura de distintas maneras. En lugar de una simple narración de hombres contra mujeres implicados en constante combate, se presentan sutiles historias de identidades masculinas y femeninas construidas contingentemente en relación con hombres y mujeres, y mujeres y hombres, de una generación anterior y rivales, dentro y fuera de la familia. Esto deja terreno para interrogar el entendimiento limitante de “género” como constitutivo de relaciones sólo entre hombres y mujeres, y abre la posibilidad de repensarlo desde una posición distinta. El Colegio de México 2015-09-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf application/xml https://estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx/index.php/eaa/article/view/2041 10.24201/eaa.v50i3.2041 Estudios de Asia y África; Vol. 50, No. 3 (158), September-December, 2015; 593 - 620 Estudios de Asia y África; Vol. 50, núm. 3 (158), septiembre-diciembre, 2015; 593 - 620 2448-654X 0185-0164 spa https://estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx/index.php/eaa/article/view/2041/2041 https://estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx/index.php/eaa/article/view/2041/2275 Derechos de autor 2015 Estudios de Asia y África |
| spellingShingle | gender nation family food health género nación familia comida salud Banerjee, Ishita Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title | Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title_alt | Modern Menus: Food, Family, Health and Gender in Colonial Bengal |
| title_full | Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title_fullStr | Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title_short | Menús modernos: comida, familia, salud y género en Bengala colonial |
| title_sort | menus modernos comida familia salud y genero en bengala colonial |
| topic | gender nation family food health género nación familia comida salud |
| topic_facet | gender nation family food health género nación familia comida salud |
| url | https://estudiosdeasiayafrica.colmex.mx/index.php/eaa/article/view/2041 |
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