Gastronationalism is “a form of claims-making and a project of
collective identity” which “signals the use of food production, distribution,
and consumption to demarcate and sustain the emotive
power of national attachment, as well as the use of national sentiments
to produce and market food” (DeSoucey, 2010, p. 433). It
legitimizes a sentiment of national exceptionalism and, according
to DeSoucey, can be a fierce political strategy on the pan-nationalist
stage when used to advance national interests, such as trade protections
(e.g., geographic indications) or exemptions. Gastronationalism
“presumes that attacks (symbolic or otherwise) against
a nation’s food practices are assaults on heritage and culture, not
just on the food item itself” (p. 433). Gastronationalism is a
particularly useful basis from which to delve more deeply into the
alignment of food with national identity.We see the French framing
dispute over halalburgers as an example of the making of gastronationalism
within national boundaries, demonstrating the constructed
nature of the process and, thereby, the mutability of
French foodways