Desire and Distaste in Culinary Culture

deadline for submissions: 
March 20, 2023
full name / name of organization: 
MLA 2024 Convention
contact email: 

CFP for the MLA 2024 Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

Conference Dates: January 4th to 7th 2024

Overview - In preparation for the annual MLA convention, a special session on food and culinary culture is being organized. As a way of aligning ourselves with the convention's theme of Joy and Sorrow - this panel will build upon the subjects of affective experience. To create a focus, this panel will focus on desire and/or distaste in culinary contexts including studies of how food and culinary culture intersect with emotion and feeling, which may include: experiences of belonging, identities, inclusion, place, or theories such as intersectional perspectives. Further, this panel's concepts of desire and distaste are meant to be a way of connecting some meaningful developments in culinary cultures, and these topics can be construed in multiple ways for this panel. For instance, the notion of desire will likely speak to cravings or longings as well as the intersections of certain identities and foods.

Moreover, this proposed panel is aiming to make connections across several forms of cultural expression. Likewise, varying approaches are welcome and encouraged. To be considered, please submit a 250-word abstract with a short bio by March 20th. Please send your abstracts and any questions to Dr. Edward Chamberlain at - ec10(at)uw(dot)edu. This panel will be submitted through the usual proposal process on the MLA.org website. For more information about the convention, please visit the MLA's page at - https://www.mla.org/ - thank you.