Jennifer Jo Thompson
The 2023 joint meeting of the Association for the Study of Food in Society and the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (ASFS/AFHVS) was held May 31 – June 3 in-person at Boston University, with virtual panels scheduled on the first day. Annually, this conference offers a veritable buffet of interdisciplinary food scholarship to suit all tastes—theoretical, critical, and applied—from anthropology, geography, and rural sociology, to agroecology, agricultural economics, and history.
This year’s theme was “Knowing Food: Insights from Around the Table”—and the conference featured several tours, workshops, tasting events, and a keynote by Jacques Pepin, in addition to scholarly presentations and roundtable discussions. As someone who can really feel lost at the AAA meetings, I sincerely enjoyed the opportunity to be at a more intimate meeting, where I could pop into almost any session and find it interesting.
Here are a few of my highlights from the meeting:
“Reflections on Critical Agroecological Education for Sustainable Food Systems Transformation”— a roundtable organized by Lia Kelinsky-Jones (Civic Science Fellow at Johns Hopkins University), and featuring the perspectives of Anna Erwin (UT Rio Grande Valley), Kim Niewolny (Virginia Tech), and Nicholas Copeland (Virginia Tech)—brought together a variety of perspectives on teaching agroecology as science, praxis, and social movement.
Boston University Gastronomy graduate student Amy Johnson hosted a tasting session entitled, “Traditional Winemaking and Agroecology: Learning from the French Paysans.” Attendees learned about the Paysan movement that emerged in France the 1980s in response and resistance to increasingly productivist models of agriculture, and we tasted four wines while learning about the small-scale family enterprises where they are produced.
“Organizing for Food Justice: Scaling Up and Reaching Out” was one of three sessions organized by Julian Agyeman and Alison Hope Alkon. Judging from the powerful presentations, packed room, and dynamic discussion, the scholarly community is excited for the revised edition of Cultivating Food Justice expected in the next year or so.
Last, but certainly not least, we hosted a SAFN Happy Hour at Cornwall’s Tavern, bringing together 24 attendees to (re-)connect and socialize—including representation from SAFN leadership across its history.
If you’ve never been to this meeting, I encourage you to consider it. For many years now, SAFN has been a sponsor, and our members are able to register at the member rate. Mark your calendars for June 5-8, 2024 in Syracuse, New York, and keep your eyes on this space where we’ll post the call for abstracts once it is available.
FoodAnthropology 