2nd Global Conference
Food, Heritage and Community
An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

Saturday 9th March 2019 - Sunday 10th March 2019
Prague, Czech Republic

Food and Drink have always been far more than simply sustenance and succor. Forming a fascinating, complex and diverse foundation for communities across the world, the needs, rituals and practices related to food and drink open up important insights and perspectives on who we are, how we live and the ways in which we have and continue to come together.

The second meeting of this inclusive interdisciplinary project seeks to explore how food is perceived, constructed, celebrated and resisted as cultural heritage at personal, regional, national and global levels with a view to forming a publication to engender further collaboration and discussion.

Heritage denotes the accumulation of tangible and intangible goods that a society inherits from the past, preserves in the present and passes on to the future. That in turn opens up the pathways of food and the generations; i.e. how recipes are passed down through families, and throughout national and global histories, how land is managed, farmed and sustained for the future. We encourage critical and interdisciplinary approaches to heritage, exploring how people and institutions deal with their shared past, the ways in which they relate to it in the present, and how it shapes expectations for the future.

This meeting aims to address all aspects, meanings and possibilities for food, drink and heritage from a range of perspectives including presentations, performances, demonstrations, round-table discussions, walking/eating/drinking tours, and more in a context in which all aspects of food and drink are open for examination. We have chosen Prague as our event location for its long and rich traditions around food and drink, and for its unique, international appeal to those seeking new tastes and new cultural adventures.

We are excited to accept proposals for presentations, performances, round tables, panels, interactive workshops and more. Below is a non-exhaustive list of possible themes some of which overlap. Our goal is to have a lively, exciting, and innovative event wherein all aspects of food and drink can be explored.

~ national cuisines as a manifestation of identity; the effect of globalization on food around the world; local food movements.
~ heritage as inclusion and exclusion; food and borders; food and migration; contested cultural ownership of heritage.
~ the business of food: appellation of origins and terroir; growing, selling, buying, distributing of heritage food; restaurants and the preservation and transformation of typical foods; the work of chefs and cooks; food education; professions related to food; brand management.
~ food as performance: banquets in antiquity and contemporary times; eating out cultures; food, drink and music; food as art.
~ philosophies and aesthetics: food as embodied knowledge; taste and values; representational and expressive roles of food.
~ heritage and popular culture: food, drink and storytelling; heritage and typical food and drinks in literature, cinema, music, in the media (TV, film, news shows, talk shows, commercials); food bloggers and writers.
~ family and community heritage; family cookbooks; personal food memoirs; food in memory; intergenerational passage of knowledge.
~ culinary tourism; travel guides; food and drink as gestures of hospitality; cosmopolitan consumptions.
~ the places and spaces of heritage food; ethnographies and histories of restaurants; food trucks; street food events; museums and exhibitions.
~ heritage food throughout history; food and wine in antiquity; changing values and morals; religious practices and symbolism.
~ heritage, sustainability and health: traditional diets and perceptions of health and illness; traditional agricultural practices and sustainability.

Unlike other conferences or gatherings, our Event proposes to step outside the traditional conference setting and offer opportunities for independent scholars, academics, performers, chefs, historians, food buffs, writers, and connoisseurs to intermingle, providing platforms for interdisciplinary interactions that are fruitful and conducive to broadening horizons and sparking future projects, collaborations, and connections.

What to Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling, performances, poster presentations, panels, q&a’s, roundtables etc.

300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 12th October 2018. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 26th October 2018

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 25th January 2019.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Food and Heritage Submission

Where to Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Dr Elisa Ascione: eascione@umbra.org
Project Administrator: praguefood@progressiveconnexions.net

What’s so Special About Progressive Connexions Events?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.

A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.

A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.

An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.

An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.

Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.

For all inquiries please contact: praguefood@progressiveconnexions.net

For further details and information please visit the conference web page: http://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/food-and-drink/food-and-drink-in-the-21st-century/conferences/

Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions