From the US to Palestine, indigenous communities and communities of color are leaders in grassroots food sovereignty movements to counter land dispossession and cultural erasure. In homelands and in diasporas, food cultures also become vehicles for storytelling, emotional nourishment, and community preservation. This program will engage the histories of settler colonialism in the US and Palestine through the lenses of food sovereignty, feminism, and land-based social movements. We’ll examine the centrality of food—as both a cultural expression and a human right— in reclaiming cultural stories and histories distorted by the structures of colonialism, slavery, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy, particularly in Black, Indigenous, and Palestinian cultures, and the leadership roles of women and queer folks in these movements. In what ways is food justice linked to struggles over land dispossession and larger processes of decolonization? How is cultural nourishment and individual well-being inextricably linked to community well-being?
We approach these studies in a holistic manner by exploring life-affirming systems and ancestral knowledges that are being revived and reclaimed, and by drawing on the work of trauma-informed practitioners like Gabor Mate and Resmaa Menakem to understand the healing potential of land-based practices against histories of oppression. Students will participate in somatic lab activities to explore embodied cultural practices and to imagine the desired futures we hope to create. In hands-on workshops, we’ll cook together, learn new recipes, and share familial and community food stories. We’ll also engage in farm excursions to assist with fall harvest, as we build a strong learning community committed to cultivating justice.
Students will gain foundational knowledge in Food Studies, Cultural Studies, and Sociology, as well as skills in intersectional feminist analysis, creative and expository writing, and anti-oppression education.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
4 - Food Studies
4 - Cultural & Decolonial Studies: Black, Indigenous, and Palestinian
4 - Expository Writing
4 - Sociology of Race, Class, Gender & Community
Registration
Academic Details
food studies and farming, education, global and ethnic studies, community advocacy, transnational feminism, cultural studies, politics and history. This program builds cultural competencies for working with communities of color in a broad range of professional fields.
$100 for two day-long field trips and program reader