Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-zlvph Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-23T20:47:05.196Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Talking about Lunch

Diversity, Language, and Food Socialization in a Danish Kindergarten Classroom

from Part III - Language Socialization and Ideology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2020

Matthew J. Burdelski
Affiliation:
Osaka University
Kathryn M. Howard
Affiliation:
California State University, Channel Islands
Get access

Summary

This chapter offers a language socialization view on everyday experiences with food in an ethnically diverse kindergarten classroom in Copenhagen, Denmark. It examines discursive encounters that take place between teachers and children during the social activity of lunch, focused primarily on rye bread. It analyzes the ways in which teachers, children, and parents are positioned, using Goffman’s (1981) “production format,” in order to understand how teachers and children occupy different speaker positions, and how teachers attempt to socialize parents through the children. It also looks at the discursive practice of accounts, or social actions expected and presented in the case of unexpected and (often) dispreferred actions (e.g., not bringing Rye bread in one’s lunchbox). It shows how the children presented accounts in numerous cases, yet these were often treated as illegitimate by teachers. The chapter adds to research on food socialization in classrooms under conditions of migration by focusing on the vital role of language and demonstrating the difficulties that emerge when (what is seen as) non-compatible food understandings meet in classrooms.

Information

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×