Building groups and independence: the role of food in the lives of young people in Danish sports centres

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

This article, based on an ethnographic study, examines the role of food in the social interaction of 11-to-17-year-old youths in sports centres in Denmark. The sports centres serve as a free space where young people receive no adult supervision. This i s underlined by their understanding and use of food in this environment. Food serves as a medium that introduces occasions for getting together. The article analyses the social significance and symbolic meaning of food in children's and adolescents' peer culture. As everywhere in social life, rules of food choice and eating signal the meaning of social relations and social contexts.
Original languageEnglish
JournalChildhood
Volume16
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)213-228
Number of pages16
ISSN0907-5682
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

ID: 12797118