Seeking solidarity through food: the growth of asylum seeker and refugee food initiatives in Ireland

Abstract

This article seeks to understand how asylum seeker and refugee food movements in Ireland are engendering a new politics of solidarity and empathy whilst also building strong pathways to labour integration. It examines how such projects also serve as a critique of the treatment of Ireland’s asylum seeker and refugee communities, particularly with respect to the system of direct provision. In so doing, the piece examines a mix of asylum seeker and refugee-led food projects such as Cooking for Freedom, entrepreneurial projects such as Our Table and the Sligo Global Kitchen and collaborative food projects such as the Clonakilty community garden and the Refugee Food Festival.