How Food And Language Influence The Construction Of Folk Identity

After the reform and opening up in 1978,with the development of urbanization and modernization,the barriers between urban and rural areas have gradually narrowed.The huge attractiveness and employment opportunities of the city have attracted many Xihe people in province A to come to Shanghai for new development.For decades,the hometown and the inaccessible city have created a strong identity crisis in their hearts.As active individuals,they shape their identity in many situation,although they cannot change objective reality: the demise of their hometown and government policies,but they use diet and language as crucial paths in their interactions with locals to construct their identity in complex situations.The former includes the combination of traditional dietary characteristics and local dietary elements,the new changes of festive diet,the choice of eating place with identity construction,dining etiquette with identity construction;the latter includes Xihe people's language communication in public places,the characteristics and the attitudes of the second-generation immigrants and half-immigrants towards the Xihe dialect and Shanghai dialect.Explain how the Xihe people constructed themselves as the new Shanghainese through the above two folklore matters,meanwhile recognizing of their past identity,analyze how their traditions are continued and merge with the new living environment and local traditions,and finally try to summarize people who have undergone tremendous changes have strategically constructed general rules of identification in the process of urbanization.