Carrillo Ruiz, Nicole Roxana (2025) The Flavours that Bring Us Together: A Personal Exploration of Colombian Foodways in the Greater Montreal Area Using Multimedia Journalism. Masters thesis, Concordia University.
Preview |
Text (application/pdf)
2MBCarrilloRuiz_MA_S2026.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Spectrum Terms of Access. |
Abstract
This research-creation thesis explores how digital multimedia journalism can document and communicate the food practices of the Colombian diaspora in Montreal. Through a multimedia website that integrates photography, short videos, profile features , recipes, and personal reflections, the project examines how food operates as a site of memory, identity, and belonging. Combining journalistic storytelling with oral history, this work applies the concepts of care-based journalism (Jones, 2023) and the intimate public sphere (Berlant, 2008) to propose a more relational, empathetic, and participatory approach to media practice.
Using recipes and personal narratives as journalistic devices, the project repositions food writing and media as a form of slow, sensory storytelling that captures both the emotional and political dimensions of diasporic life. The website adopts an interactive format inspired by “Snow Fall” (Branch, 2012) style digital journalism, encouraging users to navigate content dynamically through visual and affective engagement. The result is a narrative production where participants’ voices are amplified and audiences are invited to experience Colombian food culture beyond the plate. Ultimately, this project argues that food-centered multimedia journalism offers a powerful framework for documenting the lived experiences of migration, one that nourishes empathy, fosters connection, and sustains collective identity through shared acts of storytelling and care.
| Divisions: | Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Journalism |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
| Authors: | Carrillo Ruiz, Nicole Roxana |
| Institution: | Concordia University |
| Degree Name: | M.A. |
| Program: | Digital Innovation in Journalism Studies |
| Date: | November 2025 |
| Thesis Supervisor(s): | Amend, Elyse |
| Keywords: | research-creation, journalism, food journalism, migration studies, Colombian diaspora |
| ID Code: | 996486 |
| Deposited By: | Nicole Carrillo Ruiz |
| Deposited On: | 29 Jun 2026 14:14 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jun 2026 14:14 |
References:
Acosta, J. (2011). La gastronomía como elemento comunicativo en los personajes de las novelas de Isabel Allende. Fonseca, 3(3), 25–40. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/la-gastronomía-como-elemento-comunicativo-en-los/docview/2050724622Almerico, G. M. (2014). Food and identity: Food studies, cultural, and personal identity. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, 8. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.683.5312&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Appadurai, A. (1981). Gastro-politics in Hindu South Asia. American Ethnologist, 8(3), 494–511. https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1981.8.3.02a00040
Arbuckle, B. S., et al. (2023). Ancient foodways: Integrative approaches to understanding subsistence and society. University Press of Florida. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/j.ctv33jb42g
Avni, R., & Park, J. (2020). Visualizing food and migration: Multimedia journalism and cultural belonging. Journalism Studies, 21(14), 2045–2061. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2020.1814271
Banerjee, I. (2015). Introducción: La carta culinaria. Estudios de Asia y África, 50(3), 541–550. https://doi.org/10.24201/eaa.v50i3.2266
Barnes, S. B. (2012). Barbie Zelizer. About to Die: How News Images Move the Public. Mass Communication and Society, 15(5), 782–785. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2012.672616
Becuț, A. G., & Puerto, K. L. I. (2017). Introduction. Food history and identity: Food and eating practices as elements of cultural heritage, identity and social creativity. International Review of Social Research, 7(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1515/irsr-2017-0001
Berlant, L. (2008). The female complaint: The unfinished business of sentimentality in American culture. Duke University Press.
Bonner, J. V. H., Ramduny-Ellis, D., & Peebles, D. (2012). Making audience experiences more meaningful and emotionally engaging through mixed visual and audio media. In Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2012) (pp. 119–126). https://doi.org/10.14236/ewic/EVA2012.20
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Harvard University Press.
Branch, J. (2012, December 20). Snow Fall: The avalanche at Tunnel Creek. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/index.html
Brettell, C., & Hollifield, J. F. (2023). Migration theory: Talking across disciplines (4th ed.). Routledge.
Brightwell, M. D. G. (2012). A Taste of Home?: Food, Identity and Belonging among Brazilians in London [Doctoral thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London].
Burt, K. G. (2022). Challenging perceptions of food culture and personal identity. In D. Szanto, A. Di Battista, & I. Knezevic (Eds.), Food Studies: Matter, Meaning & Movement. Food Studies Press. https://doi.org/10.22215/fsmmm/bk06
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, & Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. (2010). Tri-Council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans (TCPS 2). Government of Canada.
Chapman, O., & Sawchuk, K. (2012). Research-creation: Intervention, analysis and “family resemblances.” Canadian Journal of Communication, 37(1), 5–26.
Chartrand, S., Hamel-Charest, L., Hassen, R., Hunt, A., Nasser, N., Speakman, K., & Szanto, D. (2024). Reimagining recipes for food studies. Canadian Food Studies / La Revue Canadienne Des Études Sur L’Alimentation, 11(2), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v11i2.678
Chen, Y., Li, M., Guo, F., & Wang, X. (2022). The effect of short-form video addiction on users’ attention. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(12), 2851–2863. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2151512
Collins, P. (2015). Cooking Class: The Rise of the ‘Foodie’ and the Role of Mass
Media. City University of New York (CUNY). https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1124&context=jj_pubs
Counihan, C., & Van Esterik, P. (Eds.). (2008). Food and culture: A reader (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Darnton, J. (2012, December 12). Foodways: When food meets culture and history. MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/foodways_when_food_meets_culture_and_history
De Solier, I. (2013). Food and the self: Consumption, production and material culture. Bloomsbury Academic.
Deutsch, J. (2004). Eat me up. Food, Culture & Society, 7(1), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.2752/155280104786578175
DeVault, M. L. (1991). Feeding the family: The social organization of caring as gendered work. University of Chicago Press.
Dowling, D., & Vogan, T. (2014). Can we “Snowfall” this? Digital longform and the race for the tablet market. Digital Journalism, 3(2), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.930250
English, P., & Fleischman, D. (2019). Food for thought in restaurant reviews. Journalism Practice, 13(1), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2017.1400384
Fischler, C. (1988). Food, self and identity. Social Science Information, 27(2), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901888027002005
Fürsich, E. (2012). Lifestyle journalism as popular journalism: Strategies for evaluating its public role. Journalism Practice, 6(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2011.622894
Fusté-Forné, F., & Masip, P. (2018). Food in journalistic narratives: A methodological design for the study of food-based contents in daily newspapers. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 14, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.09.002
Gasti, R. (2023). [Master’s thesis]. Thought for food: An analysis of evolving food media https://digital.library.txst.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/a1a895e9-d2ae-49bc-bbfd-7effd6cf0bef/content
Geyzen, A. (2014). Food studies and the heritage turn: A conceptual repertoire. Food and History, 12(2), 67–96. https://doi.org/10.1484/j.food.5.108963
González, J. A. (2024, November 26). La arepa y el eterno debate entre Colombia y Venezuela. The New York Times en Español. https://www.nytimes.com/es/2024/11/26/espanol/america-latina/debate-arepa-colombia-venezuela.html
Griswold, W. (2012). Cultures and societies in a changing world (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Haas, H. de, Castles, S., & Miller, M. J. (2020). The age of migration: International population movements in the modern world. Guilford Press.
Hall, S. (1990). Cultural Identity and Diaspora. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), Identity: Community, Culture, Difference. Lawrence & Wishart.
Hanusch, F. (Ed.). (2013). Lifestyle journalism. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203076902
Heldke, L. (2001). "Let's Eat Chinese!": Reflections on Cultural Food Colonialism. Gastronomica, 1(2), 76-79.
Heldke, L. (2003). Exotic appetites: Ruminations of a food adventurer. Routledge.
hooks, b. (1990). Yearning: Race, gender, and cultural politics. South End Press.
Johnston, J., & Baumann, S. (2010). Foodies: Democracy and distinction in the gourmet foodscape. Routledge.
Jones, J. P. (2023). If it feeds, it leads: Food journalism, care ethics, and nourishing democracy. Journal of Media Ethics, 38(3), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/23736992.2023.2216343
Kittler, P. G., Sucher, K. P., & Nelms, M. (2012). Food and culture (6th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Le Masurier, M. (2015). What is slow journalism? Journalism Practice, 9(2), 138–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2014.916471
Lewis, D. (2015, September 30). A brief history of General Tso’s chicken. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/general-tsos-chicken-got-its-start-fine-dining-180956795/
Londoño Mora, T. (2023). [Master’s thesis]. https://kultuuriteadused.ut.ee/sites/default/files/2023-05/THESIS%20FINAL%20VERSION%20TOMAS%20LONDONO%20%282%29_0.pdf
Long, L. M. (2004). Culinary tourism. University Press of Kentucky.
Long, L. M. (2004). Learning to listen to the food voice: Recipes as expressions of identity and carriers of memory. Food, Culture & Society, 7(1), 118–122. https://doi.org/10.2752/155280104786578067
Lupton, D. (1996). Food, the body and the self. SAGE Publications.
MacKendrick, N. (2014). Foodscape. Contexts, 13(3), 16–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504214545754
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Foodscape. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 22, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foodscape
Migration Policy Institute. (2011). Colombians abroad: A new era of transnational citizenship. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/ColombiaMigration.pdf
Miller, J., & Deutsch, J. (2009). Food studies: An introduction to research methods. Berg.
Mintz, S. W., & Du Bois, C. M. (2002). The anthropology of food and eating. Annual Review of Anthropology, 31, 99–119. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.32.032702.131011
Nedelkoska, L., et al. (2021). The role of the diaspora in the internationalization of the Colombian economy. CID Faculty Working Paper, No. 397. https://growthlab.hks.harvard.edu/files/growthlab/files/2021-05-cid-wp-397-diaspora-internationalization-colombian-economy.pdf
Newhouse, A., & Tablet (Eds.). (2019). The 100 most Jewish foods: A highly debatable list. Artisan.
Nueva Lengua Spanish School. (2023, May 30). Salpicón de Baudilia – typical food with a taste of freedom. Nueva Lengua Spanish School. https://nuevalengua.com/en/the-salpic%C3%B3n-de-baudilia-typical-food-with-a-flavor-of-freedom/
Ojeda, D. (2020). Recetario de sabores lejanos.
Pilcher, J. M. (2012). Planet taco: A global history of Mexican food. Oxford University Press.
Pillow, W. (2003). Confession, catharsis, or cure? Rethinking the uses of reflexivity as methodological power in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 16(2), 175–196.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839032000060635
Pink, S. (2015). Doing sensory ethnography (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
Ray, K. (2016). The ethnic restaurateur. Bloomsbury Academic.
Rosenberry, J., & St. John, B. (2010). Public journalism 2.0: The promise and reality of a citizen-engaged press. Routledge.
Siniauer, P. (2014). Writing about food: A guide to good food journalism. Helsingin Sanomat Foundation. https://www.hssaatio.fi/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Siniauer_WRITE-ABOUT-FOOD-a-guide-to-good-food-journalism.pdf
Statistics Canada. (2022). Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population. Government of Canada. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E
Sulbarán Lovera, P. (2017, January 26). ¿De dónde es la arepa realmente: venezolana o colombiana?. BBC News Mundo. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-38698394
Sutton, D. E. (2001). Remembrance of repasts: An anthropology of food and memory. Berg.
Svensson, A. (2020). Food as function and food as figure: Cultural translation and cultural hybridity in A change of skies, Love and vertigo and Nina's heavenly delights. Moderna Sprak, 114(1), 61-76.
Thrillist. (2022, May 11). Night market. Thrillist. https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/night-market
Tillmann-Healy, L. M. (2003). Friendship as method. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(5), 729–749.
Tomicki, H. (2012, October 24). Will the real inventor of the California Roll please stand up? Grub Street. https://www.grubstreet.com/2012/10/inventor-claims-california-roll-sushi.html
Toro, P. (2018, March 9). Arepas venezolanas y hallacas ya son parte de la dieta bogotana. El Tiempo. https://www.eltiempo.com/cultura/gastronomia/comida-venezolana-modifica-la-dieta-de-los-colombianos-191758
Trauma Aware Journalism. (2024). Trauma Aware Journalism. Trauma Aware Journalism.
https://www.traumaawarejournalism.org/
Turner, B., & Orange, R. (2013). Specialist journalism. Routledge.
Usher, N. (2016). Interactive journalism: Hackers, data, and code. University of Illinois Press.
Valderrama-Echavarria, M. (2014). [Master’s thesis]. https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1807&context=td
Veit, H. Z. (2013). Food in the Civil War era: The North. University of Minnesota Press.
Vonthron, S., Perrin, C., Soulard, C.-T., & Daivadanam, M. (2020). Foodscape: A scoping review and a research agenda for food security-related studies. PLOS ONE, 15(5), e0233218. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233218
Voos, K. W. (2014). The food section: Newspaper women and the culinary community. Rowman & Littlefield.
Wagner, J. (2024, November 26). Colombia and Venezuela Have a Beef: Who owns the, or Makes the Best, Arepa?. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/world/americas/colombia-venezuela-arepas-food.html
Williams, A. (2021). Feeding others: Care, ethics, and the politics of food. University of Minnesota Press.
Yahr, N. (2014, August 14). Why Should I Tell You?: A Guide to Less-Extractive Reporting. Center for Journalism Ethics. https://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/why-should-i-tell-you-a-guide-to-less-extractive-reporting/
Zelizer, B. (2004). Taking journalism seriously: News and the academy. SAGE Publications.
Zocchi, D. M., Fontefrancesco, M. F., Corvo, P., & Pieroni, A. (2021). Recognising, safeguarding, and promoting food heritage: Challenges and prospects for the future of sustainable food systems. Sustainability, 13(17), 9510. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179510
Repository Staff Only: item control page


Download Statistics
Download Statistics