CFP: Eat, Drink, and Be Hungry: Ireland and Consumption
Eighth Annual Grian Conference
3-5 March 2006
Glucksman Ireland House
New York University

Bless us, O Cleric, famous pillar of learning,
Son of honey-bag, son of juice, son of lard,
Son of stirabout, son of porridge, son of fair-speckled clusters of fruit,
Son of smooth clustering cream, son of buttermilk, son of curds[.] (trans.
Kuno Meyer)

            In the Aisling meic Conglinne, meic Conglinne=E2=80=99s vision involves a
land of gluttony, filled with lakes of new cream and butter, bridges of beef
and loaves of bread. This prayer, which satirizes early Irish genealogies,
taken from the work provides an image of excess consumption found in early Irish
culture, when complex rituals and codes conduct regulated the offer of food
and hospitality. Throughout Ireland=E2=80=99s history, the rituals of food,
drink and consumption have continued to play important, yet protean roles
as Ireland==E2=80=99s social fabric has changed. The spectrum between
comestible scarcity and abundance at distinctive and extreme points in
Ireland=E2=80=99s history manifests itself through complicated cultural
attitudes towards food. If a pint in Ireland is =E2=80=9C the
drink,=E2=80=9D Grian is interested in exploring the social rituals, cultural
practices and enduring aspects of Ireland=E2=80=99s comestible cultures at all points of
its history. Papers that address the broad relation of food and consumption in
Ireland and its diaspora may consider the following topics.

                        Food as emotion: comfort, desire, sex, nostalgia.
                        Food rituals and foodways: the Irish wake, pub
culture, =E2=80=98the drink,=E2=80=99 tea
drinking, Bewley=E2=80=99s, Barry=E2=80=99s.
Food scarcity and abundance: famine, trauma, economy.
Food extremes and health: eating disorders, overeating, well-being.
Food and prosperity: Darina Allen, haute cuisine in Ireland, authenticity
Food as business and commodity: from market to supermarket,
Superquinn=E2=80=99s, Guinness, Bachelor=E2=80=99s beans.
                        Food from home: immigrants and Club Orange, Mi Wadi,
Jacobs,
 Galtee sausage and bacon.
                        Food and home: the hearth, dwellings.
                        Food and geography: landscapes and seascapes, farming
and fishing.
Food and gender: providers of food; breastfeeding.
Food and the arts: literature, song, visual arts.
Oral fixation: Oral/Orality/Oral desire/Orature.
Consumption and class: commodification of consumption, Waterford,
Belleek, consumerism, transnationalism, Celtic Tiger economy.

One page abstracts for 20 minute papers are invited from scholars in any
field including history, literature, cultural studies, business, anthropology,
etc., by October 15, 2005. Cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural approaches
are encouraged. Send abstracts to Ireland.grian_at_nyu.edu. Queries may
be addressed to Elizabeth Gilmartin: egilmart_at_monmouth.edu or Kerri Anne
Burke: kab350_at_yahoo.com.

Elizabeth Gilmartin
Department of English
Monmouth University
W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
732-263-5695

         ==========================================================
              From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
                        CFP_at_english.upenn.edu
                         Full Information at
                     http://cfp.english.upenn.edu
         or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu
         ==========================================================
Received on Sun Jul 03 2005 - 14:01:06 EDT