"I Miss Greens, but Not Kale": A Qualitative Analysis of Black and Latina Women's Experiences with Food at Middlebury College

Food has a critical role in identity formation, group boundary maintenance, enacting racialized and non-racialized identities, and marginalizing racial and ethnic minorities. Although there is an extensive understanding of... [ view full abstract ]

Food has a critical role in identity formation, group boundary maintenance, enacting racialized and non-racialized identities, and marginalizing racial and ethnic minorities. Although there is an extensive understanding of food and its various functions in society, there is very little focus on the food narratives of Black and Latina women, who share similar food histories in the United States. Thus, this research used in-depth interviews and participant observations to explore the complex role of food in Black and Latina women’s experiences at Middlebury College. I found that there were dominant food norms imposed through discourses of health that Black and Latina women negotiate at Middlebury College; however, they were able to use their racialized identities to critique and challenge these norms.