Voices of Mexico no. 125

Our Voice

Food nourishes bodies, but it also carries histories, expresses values, and connects people to entire ecosystems and social structures. As a result of decades of research and dialogue across the humanities, social sciences, and the arts, we now have a remarkably vast body of knowledge demonstrating that food’s significance extends far beyond its nutritional value. While access to sufficient, nutritious food remains a pressing issue for many communities due to inequality, war, displacement, and climate change, questions of identity often take center stage when considering what we choose—or refuse—to put on our plates. In planning this issue, we sought to emphasize the symbolic, narrative, and affective dimensions of food. By centering the concept of “voice,” we bring attention to how food production, culinary practices, appetites, and consumption habits serve as eloquent expressions, conveying meanings that might otherwise be difficult to articulate in a more straightforward manner. Food speaks of origins, aspirations, delight, and conviviality—but also of loss, erasure, and exclusion.

Julieta Flores Jurado
Researcher at CISAN