Dr. Keitlyn Alcantara, an anthropological bioarcheologist in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University—Bloomington, will led us through how foodways can serve as a powerful entry point into conversations about systemic and historic inequity, as well as systems of collective care. She emphasized the importance of a concept of health that is deeply connected to representation, visibility, and connection. Using the
Restorative Foodways Project as a case study, she presented an example of culturally diverse community meals centered on storytelling, memory and identity as a way to celebrate individual lived experiences and strategies of survival.
Dr. Alcantara recommends learning more by reading these books:
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Erin Wall Kimmerer
- Native Foodways: Indigenous North American Religious Traditions and Foods edited by Michelene Pensantubbee and Michael Zogry
- The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
- Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
- The Color of Food by Natasha Bowens
Restorative Foodways Project:
https://www.healinggardeniub.com/restorative-foodways-project-2020-2021