Abstract
In this chapter, we investigate self-identification and experiences of transition
in environments involving eating together. We examine Christian religious
environments as settings in which a sense of belonging is historically embedded
and explore the social structure of a generic Christian institutional identity.
Practices of commensality in Christian contexts provide some of the earliest
historical examples of community building; hence, the religious backdrop is
treated as an exemplar of social properties through which to interpret entries
into and exits from such communities. Settings in which people eat together are
increasingly recognized for their prosocial impact in improving social wellbeing
and promoting a sense of belongingness. However, little consideration
has been given to how and why individuals come to establish deeper ties by
participating in value-centred communities (Beach, 2018; Smith and Reid,
2018). Hence, we address the questions of how people develop a sense of
identification with others through commensality, and why such experiences
stimulate emotional considerations of belongingness.
in environments involving eating together. We examine Christian religious
environments as settings in which a sense of belonging is historically embedded
and explore the social structure of a generic Christian institutional identity.
Practices of commensality in Christian contexts provide some of the earliest
historical examples of community building; hence, the religious backdrop is
treated as an exemplar of social properties through which to interpret entries
into and exits from such communities. Settings in which people eat together are
increasingly recognized for their prosocial impact in improving social wellbeing
and promoting a sense of belongingness. However, little consideration
has been given to how and why individuals come to establish deeper ties by
participating in value-centred communities (Beach, 2018; Smith and Reid,
2018). Hence, we address the questions of how people develop a sense of
identification with others through commensality, and why such experiences
stimulate emotional considerations of belongingness.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Eating Together in the Twenty-first Century |
| Subtitle of host publication | Social Challenges, Community Values, Individual Wellbeing |
| Editors | Tamas Lestar, Manuela Manuela Pilato, Hugues Seraphin |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Chapter | 10 |
| Pages | 129-143 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032447698 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Dec 2023 |