Abstract

This article will examine how preparing soul foods comprised of cultural, social and personal constructions have manifested themselves into a performative representation of Black identities. I will analyze the preparation of popular Black American cuisines such as hot water cornbread and collard greens. Given the popularity of these soul foods, I will look for ways they inform and reveal the cultural, social and personal constructions that influence perceptions of Black identities and performances of blackness. This article is a way of discovering how food can contribute to the memory, meaning, and meaningfulness of Black experiences.

Keywords: performativity, soul food, Black Americans, foodways, cultural memory

How to Cite:

Gibbs, M. C., (2022) “Preparing Soul Food: Investigating Performativity vis-á-vis Cultural Memory”, the Black Theatre Review 1(1), 17-26. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/tbtr.4779