Digesting Narratives: Feminist Food Practices

Feminist Critical Analysis

Inter-University Center (IUC), Dubrovnik
May 16^th to May 20^th 2016

Call for Applications

The Center for Gender and Politics of the Belgrade University – Faculty of Political Sciences and

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

are pleased to announce the next annual postgraduate course in

Feminist Critical Analysis

Digesting Narratives: Feminist Food Practices

Topic

Although the interdisciplinary field of food studies, drawing mostly from history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, economy, nutrition, or agricultural studies, has been for some time now examining different normative orders related to food and eating, the intersection between this field and gender studies was, until recently, almost exclusively restricted to food pathologies or eating disorders. Without excluding these topics, but rather working to problematize them, recent feminist work has begun to examine eating practices, as well as the production and preservation of food cultures, as something that poses a normative model of “womanhood,” on the one hand, and an invocation of a monolithic woman, on the other.

In an attempt to further contribute to this growing field of feminist interest, this year’s course Feminist Critical Analysis seeks interdisciplinary approaches that will examine engendering practices and narratives related to food production, preparation, representation and consumption. Food, from production to consumption, is marked by trajectories of need, necessity and desire, to satisfaction, joy and pure pleasure. Therefore, our course looks to follow and further explore these trajectories. Starting by reexamining the known “we are what we eat” paradigm, we want to question the link between eating and constructions of identity, both individual and collective, through gender, sexuality, race, class and nation. We also consider alternative modes of food practices and in particular how these can contribute to a new understanding the ethical and political implications of food culture.

The 2016 course in Feminist Critical Analysis will examine these recent theoretical moves and consider their consequences for feminist scholarship and activism. We encourage active participation and debates that will bring together disciplines from across the humanities, social sciences, art, political theory, cultural studies, philosophy, etc. The main goal of this year’s course is to encourage discussion and debate by focusing on a broad range of food-inspired issues, including politics, ethics, economics, effects and affects, bringing up topics such as (but not limited to): culinary histories, food and emotion, affect and food, the feminization/masculinization of food production, food porn, eating pathologies, fat-positive feminism, public breast feeding, food security and scarcity, alternative  food movements, ethics of food production and consumption and the relation of food to the Anthropocene.

The course will be held at the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik (www.iuc.hr) from May 16^th to May 20^th (2016).

The course is co-directed by Professor Dasa Duhacek, University of Belgrade and Professor Ethel Brooks, Rutgers University.

The course is built on the intellectual dialogue among a diverse body of scholars from different geographical locations and the participating faculty is drawn from different universities.

ELIGIBILITY AND FEES

IUC courses are conducted at a postgraduate level. Candidates with a graduate degree and/or current postgraduate students interested in the topic may apply for participation.

There is no course fee. However, participants are expected to cover the IUC registration fee (40 EUR), as well as their own expenses of travel and accommodation. Unfortunately, the organizing institutions are not in the position to offer any financial assistance.

All meetings are conducted in English.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE

A short narrative (up to 250 words) explaining your interest in the topic and your CV with your current complete contact information should be submitted by e-mail;

Final deadline for applications is January 25th, 2016

Please send your applications to the Center for Gender and Politics University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Sciences, at studijeroda@fpn.bg.ac.rs with Dubrovnik 2016 in the subject line.