CALL FOR PAPERS
EATING ASIAN DIASPORAS
GASTRONOMIC REVERBERATIONS AT THE MIGRATORY CROSSROADS
An international conference hosted by the Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas
November 5-6, 2021
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY The State University of New York
From chicken tikka masala to General Tso’s chicken, from kimchi tacos to the California roll, to say that Asian food is global is to state the obvious. What is not so obvious is how this came to be and what this all means. What happens to food and gastronomy at the migratory crossroads of Asian diasporas? Although fundamental to human existence, the subject of food has until recently remained in the shadows of critical scholarship, and this has been especially true of the field of Asian diasporic studies. This multi- and interdisciplinary conference therefore seeks to explore questions of food and gastronomy of settled Asian communities beyond the geographic bounds of Asia, as well as the various minority communities within it. This includes gastronomic practices, both past and present, associated with the peoples and cultures of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific.
We invite papers that explore the gastronomic dimensions of Asian diasporas on a wide-range of topics across the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, cultural studies, economics, environmental studies, gender and sexuality studies, history, literary and visual studies, media studies, philosophy, political science, and sociology.
We welcome topics related, but not limited, to:
| Agriculture and farming | History of foodstuff |
| Animal-human relationship | Hunger, malnutrition, and starvation |
| Biodiversity and sustainability | Law and social justice |
| Celebrity and fame | Labor |
| Change and transformation | Literary and visual representations |
| Culinary professions | Production and distribution |
| Drinking customs and rituals | Prohibitions and taboos |
| Ecology and environment | Race and ethnicity |
| Film and television | Religion |
| Food as medicine | Restaurants and markets |
| Food sovereignty | Science and technology |
| Food sustainability | Social media |
| Food systems | Tourism and travel |
| Fusion and hybridity |
Transnationalism and globalism |
| Gender and sexuality |
Proposals are sought from both junior and senior scholars, including graduate students, from all fields in the humanities and social sciences. Undergraduates, as well as graduate students and scholars, are invited to contribute posters. We will consider individual paper proposals as well as panel proposals that include three to four papers on a selected theme. We may be able to provide some financial assistance on a limited bases for undergraduate and graduate students as well as scholars based outside the United States.
Click HERE to submit a 150-word abstract by May 1, 2021.
Questions may be sent to asiancon@binghamton.edu