Fiat panis: identity representation and identity change in food narratives

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the food production, distribution, and consumption industries in unprecedented ways. As food continues to play a fundamental role in identity representation processes and identity change, it becomes essential to understand how the pandemic and the resulting crisis have impacted the lives and professional activities of those who place food at the center of their identity. Through the analysis of personal narratives produced by Italian participants, this contribution aims to describe the way Covid-19 has influenced both professionals’ and food amateurs’ identity representations and their resistance strategies to the negative outcomes of the pandemic. The analysis shows that the pandemic has produced dynamics of radicalization of the participants’ identities as well as strategic and optimistic compliance. These observations lay the foundations for a deeper understanding of the Covid-19 food industry crisis and the role that food narratives play during periods of emotional turmoil and economic uncertainty.