Call for Chapters

Edited Volume (Tentative Title): " A Culinary Odyssey: Discovering the Rich Culinary Landscape of South Asia"

Editors: Dr. Chitra Krishnan, Ms. Tias Maity

Abstract:

Food scholarship has recently found an explosive interest globally from different fields of study. Southwest Asian food culture has a history of rich tradition, syncretism and interconnected dietary rules and practices that has not been adequately explored. There is very limited scholarship on Bhutanese, Nepali, Malay cuisines on the food cultures of India and southwest Asia in the English language. On the other hand, the importance of food as part of cultural heritage of the world needs to be better addressed in the context of southwest Asia where there has been a long and historical exchange of food, ingredients, cooking techniques and utensils. The intend of this edited volume will be to find instances of syncretic nature of food cultures in the southwest Asian context, while trying to find spaces where food becomes a distinct and unique form of cultural and individual expression in these countries.

The focus of our book will be to engage with emerging and growing issues of sustainability, heritage, authenticity, and ethics of eating. The intersectional nature of food culture requires a deep dive in the southwest Asian context. What does religion, gender, sexuality and class/caste together say about food as a form of self-expression? How do historical changes and the contemporary changes like technology mediated food consumption say about the future and preservation of food culture? We hope this volume will also be a good starting point to understand the far reaching implications and effects that food and food cultures have in the fields of sustainability and environmental studies beyond the agricultural practices and provide a deeper understanding of the impact of individual food and cooking practices on the macrocosm.

We are inviting original contributions for an edited volume that explores the diverse, dynamic, and deeply rooted food cultures across South Asia. This interdisciplinary volume aims to examine how food in the South Asian context is entangled with histories, identities, rituals, economies, politics, and diasporas. We welcome chapters that critically engage with the culinary narratives of the region, with special focus on but not limited to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

Themes of Interest

Potential contributors are encouraged to submit chapters that engage with one or more of the following themes (but are not limited to):

• Culinary Histories: Colonial legacies, ancient food practices, evolution of cuisines
• Food and Identity: Religion, caste, gender, region, class, and food taboos
• Rituals and Festivals: Food in religious ceremonies, seasonal and community feasts
• Diasporic Foodways: South Asian food in global contexts, migration and adaptation
• Politics of Food: Nationalism, food security, agrarian change, food as protest
• Street Food & Everyday Eating: Gastronomy from the ground up
• Media, Food & Representation: Culinary tourism, digital food culture, cookbooks
• Sustainability & Ethics: Indigenous practices, food waste, climate and agriculture
• Food and Health: Ayurveda, nutrition, traditional knowledge systems
• Food and Authenticity: Recipes, culinary heritage, plagiarism

Submission Guidelines

• Abstract (200–250 words)
  Submit an abstract outlining your proposed chapter, including research questions, methodology, and key arguments.
• Bio-note (100–150 words)
  Include a short biography with your institutional affiliation, recent publications (if any), and contact details.

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 15th August 2025
Deadline for Full Chapter Submission (6000 words): TBA

Publisher: We are in conversation with Springer for a potential collaboration.

Who Should Contribute?

This CFP welcomes submissions from scholars, researchers, independent writers, food journalists, culinary historians, and practitioners working across disciplines such as anthropology, cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, philosophy, history, media studies, environmental humanities, and food studies.

Submission & Queries

Please send your abstracts and bio-notes to: foodcultureinsouthasia@gmail.com

For any queries, feel free to reach out to foodcultureinsouthasia@gmail.com

We look forward to your contributions to this exciting volume!