Bengal Food Cultures in the Eyes of Global Corporatism: Folklore, Tradition, and Modernity


A.S.M. Abu Dayen (Jahangirnagar University)

The foodways of the Bengal Delta serves as a crucial symbol of unity of the greater Bengal people. The urbanization of the rural Bengal delta has led to considerable degrees of culture loss. Bengal food, an important unifier, is being threatened by this urbanization. The modern trend in the urban Bengali life is to adopt more global customs. Interestingly, the urban settlers, those who are fond of the global lifestyle, are now chasing after the traditions and folklife that they formerly overlooked. Because corporate businesses and the more affluent are focusing on the beauty and attraction of the traditional folklife, we are now witnessing a meaningful rebirth of traditional foodways in Bengal life. In this paper, I am trying to find out how corporate capitalism is running behind the folk foodways.

Part of 09-13 Food, Terroir, and Tourism, Saturday, October 15, 2:30 pm–4:30 pm