Food Examiner
Danielle La Scala
A current PhD History student funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through Midlands4Cities with a distinction degree in MA History and a first-class degree in BA (Hons) History with French from De Montfort University.
As a self-motivated and passionate researcher, I am fascinated by the social history of food and its' connection to culture, health, and business.
Education
2021 - 2025
PhD in History, De Montfort University (funded by AHRC/M4C)
Thesis: The Burger in Britain: A Symbol of Americana
Supervisors: Professor Panikos Panayi and Professor Martin Halliwell
My thesis applies an interdisciplinary framework which draws on ideas from food and health studies to create a historical ‘biography’ of the burger, exploring its journey to cultural significance in Britain over the last eighty years. This project investigates themes of food, urban culture, the home, capitalism, and the connected history of the US and UK.
2019 - 2020
MA with Distinction in History, De Montfort University, UK.
Dissertation: “Food for Freedom”: US Propaganda and the Value of Food during World War II.
2016 - 2019
BA (Hons) 1:1 History with French, De Montfort University, UK.
Dissertation: German-Americans During World War II: An Investigation on the Impact of the US Government and Public’s Reaction to Enemy Aliens.
2012 - 2016
High School Diploma, Sandwich High School, Massachusetts, USA.
Grade Point Average: 3.4 (A).
Conferences
"Fast-food and "Americanisation" in Urban British Restaurants", Urban History Group Annual Conference 2023, University of Warwick, 30 March 2023.
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"A New Mode of Consumption: Introducing Britain to the American Burger", Institute of Historical Research Food History Seminar, Online, 9 March 2023.
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"The Battle of the Burgers": The Origins of Modern Consumption Habits in Britain, 1954-1985', University of Cambridge Modern British History Workshop, University of Cambridge, 17 November 2022.
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"From Burger Bars to Restaurants: The Establishment of Fast Food as Common Culture in Britain", Contemporary History and Politics Seminar Series, University of Nottingham, 28 October 2022.
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"Historicising a Crisis: Britain Meets the Burger", Nottingham Trent University Postgraduate Conference 2022, Nottingham Trent University, 22 June 2022.
Training
I have received a variety of specialist training across Vitae's Researcher Development Framework. Please contact me for an exhaustive list.
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Feb. 2023 - Apr. 2023 - Working with Policy. Participated in team-based workshops alongside a diverse cohort and completed a policy brief to develop skills for working with, and influencing, policymakers.
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10 Oct. 2022 - 2 Feb. 2023 - Training to Teach Workshop and Mentoring Programme, East Midlands Centre for History Learning and Teaching. Received specialist training to teach History in HE, alongside one-to-one mentoring.
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Aug. 2022 - ongoing, Student Advisory Forum. Representative for the Midlands4Cities De Montfort University Cohort.
Feb. - Jun. 2022 - Organising Committee for Midlands4Cities Research Festival 2022. Co-organised a multi-tiered research festival taking place over four UK cities. Received specialist training in virtual conference chairing and academic poster-making. Duties involved co-facilitating an in-person activity, handling applications and queries, and chairing a panel entitled 'Colonialism'.
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28 Aug. - 3 Sep. 2022 - European Institute for the History and Culture of Food Summer School of Food and Drink Studies - 5 doctoral credits. Attended a week-long course at the University of Tours, France, including lectures and debates from specialists in food and drink study. Presented a paper entitled, 'The Arrival of the Burger in Britain'.
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Additional Activities
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certification Course, Dec. 2017.
"How to Start Your Research", Midlands4Cities 2022 Induction Event, Birmingham, UK, 11 October 2022.