2026-06-25 –, Room 208 (Seats 40)
This study examines the role of food as a living archive in shaping and negotiating diaspora identity, drawing on a systematic literature review of scholarly works across cultural studies, diaspora studies, and food anthropology. The study investigates how culinary practices serve not only as daily routines but also as repositories of memory, heritage, and identity among diasporic communities. The review follows a structured search and selection process across major academic databases (e.g., Scopus, JSTOR, Web of Science), identifying peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 that address the intersections of food, migration, cultural memory, and identity politics. Key themes emerging from the literature include food as a vehicle for intergenerational memory transmission, the reconstruction of homeland through culinary rituals, and the negotiation of hybrid identities in multicultural host societies. The study also explores how food operates as both a unifying and contested symbol within diasporic politics, reflecting tensions around authenticity, belonging, and identity preservation. Notably, food is shown to function as a mobile archive: dynamic, performative, and deeply embedded in collective memory. By synthesizing existing knowledge, this review highlights the importance of food as more than a cultural expression; it is a political and affective space where identity is performed, preserved, and reimagined. The findings demonstrate the importance of culinary memory as a lens for understanding broader issues of migration, displacement, and the continuous (re)negotiation of belonging in transnational contexts.
Diaspora identity, Culinary practices, Diaspora communities, Memory, Heritage, Identity preservation
Olaolu Peter Oluwasanmi is an advanced PhD student in the Department of Public Management, Law, and Economics at Durban University of Technology, South Africa. His doctoral research focuses on transborder migration and the challenge of identity crisis among Nigerian migrants. His research interests lie in international migration and diaspora studies, particularly in relation to state agency, belonging, and citizenship. His recent article, “Diaspora Vote: Relationship and Power of the Legislature in Political Leadership in Nigeria,” was published in African Identities, a Taylor & Francis journal. He actively participates in scholarly discourse and has presented his work at both local and international conferences. Oluwasanmi organized a panel at the Lagos Studies Association (LSA) 2025 Conference, titled “Navigating Identities: Migration, Belonging, and Identity Formation.” In recognition of his academic contributions, he was awarded the LSA Travel Grant and the UKRI Publication Grant in 2024. Additionally, he received a travel grant to participate in the CERTIZENS West Africa Regional Workshop in Accra, Ghana.