FOOD, CULTURE AND COLLECTIVE ACTION: WOMEN’S ORGANIZING IN FOOD ACTIVISM AMONG TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES IN BRAZIL

Elisa Garcia; Cirlene Barreiro Martins

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1449452

Título do Trabalho

FOOD, CULTURE AND COLLECTIVE ACTION: WOMEN’S ORGANIZING IN FOOD ACTIVISM AMONG TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES IN BRAZIL

Autores

Elisa Garcia
Cirlene Barreiro Martins

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 03 - Sociology of Food

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1449452-food-culture-and-collective-action--womens-organizing-in-food-activism-among-traditional-communities-in-brazil

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

food activism; food culture; collective action; women and food; food sovereignty

Resumo

This paper analyzes the constitution of the Cozinha das Tradições Collective, formed by Quilombola, Indigenous, and Caiçara women linked to the Forum of Traditional Communities (FCT), operating in territories of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. Created in 2023, the collective aims to strengthen organizational processes related to food security and food sovereignty, agroecology, health, and the valorization of traditional culinary practices and knowledge. Based on participatory action research and direct engagement with the collective’s organizational processes, the article interprets this experience through debates in the Sociology of Food, particularly those concerning food activism, food culture, and the politicization of eating. The analysis argues that traditional culinary practices—historically associated with the everyday reproduction of life—are reconfigured as grammars of collective action, articulating cultural, economic, and political dimensions. The study shows how collective cooking practices, the revival of local ingredients, and traditional modes of food preparation simultaneously operate as strategies to address food insecurity, strengthen networks of solidarity, and generate income through solidarity economy initiatives and community-based tourism. These practices also contribute to social reproduction and to the affirmation of identity among traditional peoples and communities in contexts marked by territorial conflicts, tourism-driven pressures, and environmental restrictions. By engaging with the literature on food activism, food culture, and alternative food networks, the paper contributes to understanding how food has become a strategic arena for collective action in contemporary Brazil. It highlights the central role of women in connecting everyday food practices with broader processes of community organization, political participation, and struggles for food sovereignty within traditional territories.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

GARCIA, Elisa; MARTINS, Cirlene Barreiro. FOOD, CULTURE AND COLLECTIVE ACTION: WOMEN’S ORGANIZING IN FOOD ACTIVISM AMONG TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES IN BRAZIL.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1449452-FOOD-CULTURE-AND-COLLECTIVE-ACTION--WOMENS-ORGANIZING-IN-FOOD-ACTIVISM-AMONG-TRADITIONAL-COMMUNITIES-IN-BRAZIL. Acesso em: 25/09/2026