CFP – From Table to Text: Borders and Boundaries in Food History

CFP:  From Table to Text: Borders and Boundaries in Food History. A Virtual Conference Hosted by the History Department, University of California, March 3rd and 4th, 2023

Organizers: Erika Rappaport and Elizabeth Schmidt

We invite you to submit a proposal for a virtual, interdisciplinary workshop on the borders, boundaries, divisions, and unifying factors within the field of Food History to take place March 3rd – 4th, 2023.

In May 2021, scholars from around the world came together virtually to present papers on the theme of “Imperial Foodways: Culinary Economies and Provisioning Politics.” Attendees interrogated the boundaries between historiographical divides and between empires and nations. We also successfully crossed other divides, such as food/drink; formal/informal empire; production/consumption; and indigenous/transnational.  We are now interested more directly in considering the many borders and boundaries placed around and within the field of Food History itself. What is “Food History”? What is a “History of Foodways”? What other fields lend themselves to the study of food and drink items, to production and consumption, to distribution and marketing? What borders and boundaries does the study of food and/or drink help you cross?

The virtual workshop, “From Table to Text: Borders and Boundaries in Food History,” will explore the boundaries, borders, and divides within the field of food history. In particular we envision three types of individual proposals: methodology and/or theory within the field of Food History; pedagogical strategies and techniques when teaching Food History; and original research within the field or from related disciplines. Proposals should focus then on disciplinary and/or historical boundaries and borders. We especially welcome proposals that focus on sources, archives, institutions, methods and pedagogy.

We plan to develop this workshop into an edited volume or special journal issue, so we would like to prioritize new and emerging scholarship.

Proposals are submitted by Google Form and should include a short CV (1-2 pages), a 300 word abstract, and 3 keywords. Proposals should be submitted by December 1, 2022 here: https://forms.gle/4ChzCHVqc1WSWWtv8

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in early January, and participants will be expected to submit full papers ahead of the workshop by February 15th.

Please direct questions to Elizabeth Schmidt and Erika Rappaport, Department of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, at foodandempireworkshop@gmail.com