En este artículo proponemos una revisión de la antropología de la alimentación en España y en Latinoamérica desde una perspectiva histórica reciente. El artículo analiza el origen de la antropología de la alimentación en España y Latinoamérica y sus dificultades para el asentamiento de esta especialidad en el contexto de la antropología sociocultural hasta nuestros días, con una revisión de los intereses temáticos presentes y emergentes. El artículo se organiza principalmente alrededor de tres ejes que agrupan las temáticas y tendencias de los profesionales que han trabajado en este campo: el patrimonio alimentario, entre localidad y globalización; carencias alimentarias; y simbolismos y significaciones alimentarias.

For a little over three decades, the relationship between diet and cancer has been thoroughly researched through quantitative studies, by medical experts in nutrition and cancer. However, the narratives and experiences of cancer patients with respect to food and the emotional climates that surround the nutritional process – understood as an entirely social fact – are understudied. The subordination of this perspective reflects short-sightedness towards these narratives. This paper proposes an ethnographic approach to the dietary experience of a group of patients suffering from laryngeal cancer in Spain. Herein we will analyze the senses and meanings they give to the loss of “normality” in dietary practices, the feelings and emotions they assign to these practices, the importance placed on nutrition, the recommendations of health professionals, or the process of resistance. Notions such as shame, stigma or identity reinforce the thesis that we must pay close attention to these worlds of experience, which have traditionally been subordinated to physiological needs.

El llamado Xiximai (espíritu de la escasez) es una entidad sobrenatural que colabora para entender la necesidad de ayudar y regalar comida en tiempos de escasez de alimentos. Este personaje se presenta en las casas de los indígenas el primer día de julio y entonces hay que atenderlo ritualmente donándole comida, pues, en caso contrario, dejaría el hambre en las casas que no mostraron generosidad. A partir de las referencias recopiladas sobre Xiximai, el artículo tratará sobre cómo ante crisis de subsistencia se activa la memoria y emergen rituales y relatos que parecían estar olvidados, como el de Xiximai, pues su presencia recuerda siempre la necesidad de compartir comida, especialmente en ámbitos muy vulnerables, como los de las montañas maya-ch’orti’ del oriente de Guatemala. La reflexión se ubica dentro de un análisis general sobre la memoria de estrategias culturales para prevenir y sortear el hambre.

Background: In rural contexts, meanings of suicide are part of the intimate heritage of those closest to the suicidal person. They are also constructed through a social process. Over time, the community creates meanings, shares notions, and experiences common emotions. In this process, the boundaries between the life and death of the suicidal person are blurred. Methods: An ethnographic study was carried out with more than six months of fieldwork in a rural locality of Extremadura, Spain. This research included narratives that delved into the historical memory of suicides from 1922 to 2023. Results: In the narratives, the following categories emerged in the consideration of the suicidal person at the moment of death: trance as a transition/connection towards death, the appearance of being detached from life, the possibility of resurrection, and the premonitory appearance. These categories were interrelated and shared close symbolic meanings. Conclusions: The nature of the results and their contrast with diverse theories and experiences show that the earthly and otherworldly planes are intertwined. This allows us to affirm that, in the narratives about suicides, individuals perceive themselves as simultaneously alive and dead at the moment of taking their own lives.

Introduction: During an excavation in 2022 of a mass grave within a cemetery in Castilla-La Mancha containing the remains of executed victims of the Spanish Civil War and Francoist dictatorship, the scientific team discovered a medallion with a name and a date inscribed on it. The medallion was associated with an individual recovered from a grave containing 12 other individuals in 5 separate stratigraphic layers. This paper aims to outline the identification process of the deceased from the skeletal remains and associated medallion. Methods: This process included archival research, gathering witness testimonies, archaeological evidence, osteological examination and DNA analysis. Results: After restoration, the medallion revealed the words “VIVA LA FIJL. VIVA LA FAI.” on one face and “MUERO POR LA LIBERTAD.” on the other. The human skeletal remains associated with the medallion showed male morphological characteristics and were estimated to be between 21 and 30 years old at the time of death, with a height between 1.64 and 1.67 m. There was skeletal evidence of ballistic trauma on the right mandible and the right scapula. Genetic analysis confirmed an mtDNA match with his maternal niece. Discussion/Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the identification of human remains from the Spanish Civil War and the Dictatorship which followed, and how the objects found within a mass grave can be useful in aiding a positive identification.

Esta conversación virtual tiene su origen en el homenaje a Stanley Brandes que subrayó las influencias mutuas entre la antropología californiana e ibérica, que organizaron el Departamento de Antropología Social y los proyectos FOODCIRCUITS y AGRIHEAT en mayo de 2024 en la Universidad de Barcelona. A través de las voces y perspectivas de María Cátedra, Joan Prat, Joan Frigolé y el propio Brandes, que fueron los ponentes en el homenaje, el artículo hace una revisión de los principales ejes de la antropología ibérica desde los setenta hasta la actualidad. Se analizan los diálogos, convergencias y tensiones en la antropología en España y aquella desarrollada por antropólogos estadounidenses. Se valora y se destaca la trayectoria y aportación de Stanley Brandes a la antropología española como referente clave por su contribución pionera a los estudios de migración, género y simbolismo.