2021 / Being Together - Food as a social bond

Our 10th annual symposium of the UNESCO Chair in World Food Systems, entitled ‘Being together’ focused on the topic ‘Food as a social bond’. As you see, we were kind of thumbing our nose at the situation that’s prevailed over the past year. The series of restrictions and lockdowns has led to the closing of many places where people eat and socialize, such as restaurants, bars, canteens, etc. This makes us realize the extent to which food is a vector of social bonding. The ongoing health and economic crisis during this period has worsened the food insecurity situation for many people, in turn giving rise to new forms of solidarity with the most vulnerable people. New innovative forms of conviviality around food have also emerged, including virtual online aperitifs and meals in front of computer screens. Moreover, the commensality notion—based on the idea of sharing meals together—has been requestioned, undermined or at least renewed during this period.

Friday 05 February 2021 (10am-4pm, CET Time)
On-line
Simultaneous translations in French, English and Spanish