Another day, another opportunity to travel, present your research, meet interesting people…and have a few great meals with them. This one is in Montana, a dramatically beautiful state. More importantly, the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition is a sponsor of this event. Which is very nearly a guarantee of a good time! Seriously: I have been to a few of these conferences and highly recommend them. It is interdisciplinary, so you get to hear from and meet all sorts of people engaged in food studies, not just anthropologists. It is big enough to be quite diverse, but small enough to facilitate great networking. And there usually are some great opportunities to eat. I have copied the main call for papers below. Note that the deadline for submissions is coming up very soon: February 11, 2011. Do not hesitate, get your ideas together quickly. Follow the links below for more information.
Announcing the Joint 2011 Annual Meetings of the
Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS),
Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS),
& Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition
June 9 – 12, 2011
University of Montana – Missoula
“Food and Agriculture Under the Big Sky“
The conference theme acknowledges the site for the meetings in Montana, which is known as Big Sky Country because of its expansive landscapes dotted with working farms, ranches, forests, and wild areas. The Big Sky also encompasses the broader global context linking food and agricultural systems around the world. In many ways, Montana shares characteristics with rural areas elsewhere. In their struggle for sustainable livelihoods and food security, farmers, ranchers, and their communities are challenged by concentration of economic power and the vagaries of global markets. Yet, like in many other areas, Montanans are cultivating place-based innovations in food, farming and conservation. Thus, on the one hand, the industrialization, concentration, and globalization of the dominant food system profoundly influence how food is produced, processed, and consumed. On the other hand, there are also spaces of resistance and creativity in which people attempt to govern and shape their relationships with food and agricultural systems.
Acknowledging these strategies for transformation, the 2011 theme highlights people, partnerships and policies. At the core of efforts to grow innovative food and agriculture systems are talented and dedicated individuals. Making effective collective action possible, partnerships honor connections among people and organizations across public and private sectors. Lastly, attention to policies signals the broader context of government, trade, and legal agreements that shape local, regional, national, and global food and agricultural politics and practices. Join us under the Big Sky to explore the possibilities and strategies for change.
Although our organizations encourage a broad spectrum of topics at our conferences, we especially encourage papers, posters, panel sessions, roundtables, and workshops that speak directly to the theme. We welcome not only academic sessions, but also strongly encourage activists, government staff, and those with practical knowledge of food and agricultural systems to participate. We welcome submissions on all aspects of food, nutrition, and agriculture, including those related to:
- Agroecology & Conservation
- Art, Media, & Literary Analyses
- Change & Development
- Culture & Cultural Geography
- Environment & Climate Change
- Ethics & Philosophy
- Food Safety & Risk
- Gender & Ethnicity
- Globalization
- History
- Inequality, Access, Security & Justice
- Knowledge
- Local Food Systems
- Pedagogy
- Politics, Policies & Governance in National & Global Contexts
- Research Methods, Practices & Issues
- Social Action & Social Movements
- Sustainability
- Science & Technologies
Click here for the main conference web site and here for abstract submission information.
Posted by David Beriss
FoodAnthropology 