Burgarkonstnärer och sensuella citroner – en analys av hur samhälleliga individualiseringsprocesser tar sig uttryck i kokböcker

Sammanfattning: Title: Burger artists and sensual lemons – an analysis of how societal individualization processes manifest themselves in cookbooks The aim of this bachelor thesis in ethnology is to examine in which ways the prevalent individualistic discourse of our time is visible in the cookbook genre. The analysis has been made with the help of five cookbooks and one diet book, ranging from the 1960s to the 2010s, where both text and images have been analyzed. This method has been combined with the use of different sociological theories regarding individualization. In conclusion, aestheticization of life is a dominant narrative which is visible in the cookbook genre. This can be seen in the ”pleasure discourse” of food, the romanticizing and dreaming in relation to food and the praise of simplicity in aesthetics. Another noticeable subject is the struggle to develop and maintain an individual lifestyle. There are different examples of contexts in which this struggle can be seen when it comes to food and cooking. One of these contexts is specific food related hobbies, but also the narrative of fun and excitement with reference to everyday cooking. Furthermore, the body’s connection to the self is an important theme. This is visible for example when it comes to dieting, controlling the body with regards to health and the individual’s attempts to control life and death.