Feeding distinction: Economic and cultural capital in the making of food boundaries

Abstract

Abstract Studies on cultural stratification have shown how processes of exclusion and distinction are created and later transmitted to offspring through eating and feeding practices. Building on the analytical opposition between economic and cultural capital, I adopt a mixed method perspective to shed light on two different ‘paths’ of distinction in Trentino, a region in northern Italy. First, using data from the 2012 Survey on Household Consumption (SHC) and the 2012 Multipurpose Survey of Daily Life (MDL) by ISTAT, I show that economic capital is related to the type of retail stores where groceries are purchased, whereas cultural capital is linked to greater compliance with dietary advice. Second, making use of 40 in-depth interviews with primary caregivers from different social classes, I outline how their purchasing and feeding practices can be similarly analysed along the lines of economic and cultural capital, distinguishing between two different forms of symbolic boundaries: the first relating to the places where groceries are bought and food brands are selected (economic boundaries), the second relating to the nutritional principles that guide feeding choices (cultural boundaries). In the conclusion I outline future research opportunities in the study of food stratification and possible applications of the conceptual framework here outlined in other fields beyond food consumption.