Public Lectures: Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program „Mapping Taste: Food Across Cultures“
The program explores food not only as a biological necessity, but also as a cultural symbol, a medium of identity formation, and a field of social and sustainable transformation. Participants will engage in interdisciplinary learning, including lectures, discussions, and excursions in the Mannheim region, offering hands-on insights into food cultures across different contexts.
As part of the program, we are also delighted to invite interested guests to a series of public lectures (all held in english):
📅10.06.26 (Online Lecture)
4:00–5:30 p.m: Gastronativism (Fabio Parasecoli, Department of Nutrition & Food Studies, New York University)
💻 Location: via Zoom (the link will be shared upon prior registration via Virtualmobility.philuni-mannheim.de)
Short description: The table unites and divides: it connects those who get to sit around it and excludes those who have not been invited. In recent decades, we have witnessed the rise of gastronativism, the ideological use of food in politics to determine who belongs and who doesn’t in a community. In an era of populist movements, souveranisms, and geopolitical realignments, the phenomenon has become more visible and intense, as food turns into a potent symbol of identity.
📅 15.06.26
9:15–10:00 a.m.: German Food Culture (Eva Breitbach, University of Mannheim)
10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Migration History of Mannheim (Dr. Brigitte Hohlfeld, author of the book Weggegangen. Angekommen: Mannheimer Migrationsgeschichten, 2024)
📅 16.06.26
9:00–10:30 a.m.: The Politics of Taste: Food, Nation-Building, and Identity in Europe (Aistė Žemaitytė, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas)
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: From Table to Field: Food as a Methodological Resource in Applied Ethnological Research (Danijela Birt Katić, University of Zadar, Zadar)
📅 18.06.26
8:30–10:00 a.m.: Purity, Prohibition, and Communion: Food in World Religions (Sławomir Sztajer, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan)
10:30–11:45 a.m.: Food, Memory, and Belonging (Ana-Sofia Uhl, University of Mannheim)
All lectures will take place in the ExpLAB. Participation is open to interested guests, but prior registration via email (Virtualmobility.philuni-mannheim.de) is required.
You are welcome to view the full program here.
For any questions, please contact Eva Breitbach or Ana-Sofia Uhl