[Commlist] The 2nd Biennial Conference on Food & Communication: Discourses on the Future of Food (Conference)

Conference

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Date: 15/09/2021 - 17/09/2021
Registration deadline: 31/05/2021
Call for papers ending on: 1/03/2021

The 2nd Biennial Conference on Food & Communication
Discourses on the Future of Food
Ljubljana, 15-17 September 2021
(due to Covid-19 postponed from 23-25 September 2020)

Keynote speaker
CAROLYN STEEL [1]

Call for abstracts
Abstract submission deadline is March 1st, 2021!
Food is a key means through which we construct and represent ourselves
discursively. Food features as a powerful cultural signifier, often evoking
associations with issues of gender, class, race and identity. Food-related
activities, such as grocery shopping, meal preparation and eating, along 
with
the public and private spaces in which these activities occur, provide the
basis for many of our complex daily communicative practices. Food also is
located at the core of many of the most challenging social issues of our
time, often manifested in oppressive relations of inequality, and in the
placement of food at the center of calls for social justice.


“We are witness to major changes in how the relationships between food
systems and consumers are constructed discursively.”

Not surprisingly, food has been an important focus of research across the
humanities and social sciences, from history to sociology, cultural studies,
political studies and beyond. This conference extends that focus by 
providing
an international platform that foregrounds the role of communication in the
production, distribution and consumption of food. The aim of the conference
is to address discourses, texts and communication evolving in relation to
both widespread dissatisfaction with existing food systems and to 
visions for
a more sustainable and regenerative future of food.
Scholars are invited to explore the cultural and discursive construction of
food. This may include analyses of political and policy texts on food
sovereignty, food security, food safety and nutrition, food waste,
sustainability and climate change; texts produced by the food industry,
including advertising, packaging, labeling, menus, social media and other
means of food marketing; consumer and media narratives on “the pleasures of
the table”; and texts promoting gastronomic tourism, to name just a few.
Today, cumulative food-related crises and controversies have become central
to ongoing attempts to address the health of the global population and the
planet. As a result, we are witness to major changes in how the 
relationships
between food systems and consumers are constructed discursively.


“In response to these issues, scholars are welcome to explore narratives
about the emergence of alternative solutions to current food practices, and
new imaginaries about the future of food.”

1 Food as cultural signifier / text / medium, including food as:

Expression of cultural identityCultural capitalObject of commodity
activismExpression of cultural appropriatenessExpressions and critiques of
cultural appropriationBasis of ritual and community bonding
2 Representations of food, including:

Journalistic and documentary coverage of the food and agricultural
industriesFood as the focus of entertainment media (narrative cinema, 
reality
TV, celebrity programs, etc.)Food in social mediaCommercial communication
about food (advertising, PR, lobbying, industry narratives)Political
discourses (e.g., food safety, sovereignty, security; sustainability;
regenerative agriculture; access to food; food deserts; animal welfare;
etc.)Scientific and technical communication
 3 Public knowledge (and lack of knowledge) about food, including:

Food literacy (health, nutrition, safety and risk, etc.)Environmental 
impacts
(e.g., waste, pollution, climate change)Cultural origins, history,
appropriation
 4 The mediation of food activism:

Communication for direct action (protest, demonstration, petition, boycott,
etc.)Commodity activism (through promotion strategies and consumer choices)
 5 Imaginaries about the future of food, including:

New sources (e.g., insects, algae, in vitro meat)Genetic engineering of
plants and animalsHydroponicsAquacultureTransparency, traceability,
blockchain, etc.Food during and after COVID-19Visions of alternative
cultural, political and economic futures of food production,
distribution and consumption
Abstracts of 300-500 words and queries can be submitted to:
(foodandcommunication /at/ fdv.uni-lj.si) [2]

Abstracts may also be submitted via the web page below where further
information can be found.
www.foodcommunication.net [3]

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in early April 2021.
Associated costs Fee
Fee for conference attendance is 120 EUR. Food is included.
An optional conference dinner costs 35 EUR (three courses of local dishes
and local wine). Dinner will take place on Thursday evening, September 16th,
2021 at Gostilna na gradu [4].
Travel and accommodation costs will need to be covered by participants
themselves.

The conference will take place in-person if traveling is possible, with some
remote/online coverage. If traveling is not possible for some participants
due to health concerns related to COVID-19, we will make it possible for
those individuals to participate remotely (online).
We kindly ask participants that submitted their abstracts last year, 
when the
conference was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, to resubmit.

Dr. Andreja Vezovnik [5], University of Ljubljana, Chair of Local Committee
and contact person
Dr. Ana Tominc [6], Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, Chair of Program
Committee

---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------