The doing of ethnographies of eating: writing, observing, and eating chip butties during ethnographic research in primary schools in England

Earl, Lexi

Abstract

This paper explores the experience of researching food in schools. Food is personal. It is an ingested symbol of culture, family, tradition, ethnicity… What does this mean as a researcher? How do we navigate food relationships? How is this relationship shaped by the rules of the school? This paper examines how I went about doing food research in primary schools, and the various incidents that occurred that revealed food was something more than that consumed. It outlines the ethnographic approach adopted, paying attention to the sensory in research. I explore researcher identity, explaining how my own identity was multiple, and shifting, depending on where I was at a particular “food moment”. I draw attention to several events that, on reflection, serve to reveal the importance of food in everyday life, and helped understand both the field site, and the wider context of the research.

Citation

Earl, L. (2022). The doing of ethnographies of eating: writing, observing, and eating chip butties during ethnographic research in primary schools in England. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 35(1), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2020.1761476

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 10, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 14, 2020
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: May 11, 2020
• Journal: International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
• Print ISSN: 0951-8398
• Electronic ISSN: 1366-5898
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 32-47
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2020.1761476
• Keywords: Food research, school food, ethnography, reflexivity
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4417566
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09518398.2020.1761476
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=tqse20; Received: 2019-03-12; Accepted: 2020-04-10; Published: 2020-05-14