传统的生成:意大利面何以成为意大利人民族认同的象征?(英文)

The Invention of Tradition ： The Case of Pasta,a Symbol of Italian Identity

意大利人多把本土食物视为民族认同最具有代表性的方面,这种感受有时会导向真实的爱国热情.然而,如果说意大利的美食图谱包含了诸多地区性的、地方性的成分,这些成分不能被简单地视为某种单一的传统或为数不多的传统菜系,那么另一方面,意大利人对他们“自己”的美食的集体热情暗示了一种明确而有限的想象,而意大利面则是这种想象最典型的体现.意大利面何以成为,又是如何成为一个价值对象,使得主体（意大利人）如罗兰·巴尔特所说的那样,“爱上”他们国家？这一对象被赋予了什么价值？本文探讨了广告这一社会文化价值的镜像和催生器,对一些相关案例进行了符号学分析,旨在揭示出大众媒体及其话语是如何生产并加强了集体的热情和表现.

Local food is generally regardcd by Italians as one of the most representative aspects of their national identity, a feeling that can sometimes lead to real forms of patriotic fervour, if not even open chauvinism. But if, on one hand, the Italian gastronomic universe includes many regional and local components which are not reducible to a single tradition and to a few stereotyped dishes; on the other hand, Italians＇ collective passion for their ＂own＂ cuisine makes reference to a well-defined and limited imaginarium which finds in pasta its most representative element. Why？ How does pasta emerge as a Value-Object that can seduce the Subject （＂Italians＂）, making them---as Roland Barthes （1977） would say--＂ fall in love＂ with their country？ And what are the values with which this Object is invested？ Focusing on advertising, which is both the mirror and generator of sociocultural values, and building on the semiotic analysis of some relevant case studies, this paper aims at pointing out how collective passions and representations are produced and enhanced by mass media and their discourses.