Discourses on scarcity: strategies for coping with food deprivation during the crisis

Abstract

The economic crisis has forced some Spaniards to apply for social aid. Although it is not possible to adequately quantify how many people are in food deprivation, it is a problem that needs to be diagnosed given its severity. This paper explores the way in which this group manages food aid in a context that is new to them in a double sense: it is the first time that they find themselves without resources to solve their daily needs and this is the first time they request aid social. The data come from in-depth interviews conducted with 14 people who have participated in a food emergency program in 2012. It has been shown that people with severe material deprivation manage food aid with expertise. Nonetheless, this effort does not meet their basic needs because they prioritize other payments before food. It has also been seen that they perceive their situation as provisional and show indignation towards a situation of which they feel victims. They hope to leave this situation through the employment and not through the institutional aid.