EASA Food Network – Co-convenor election candidates
Dear network members, please read the following candidate introductions and once you have familiarised yourself with the candidates proceed to select your favorite by clicking on the link below.
Candidate 1:
Aida Aaly Alymbaeva - I am a PhD Candidate affiliated at Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany. Currently, I am waiting for the defense of my thesis that is focused on ethnic minority and majority relationship and identity politics in Kyrgyzstan. One of the thesis’s chapters is about the ways of shaping food as a marker of identity.
I have edited a volume of ethnographies on food and identity in Central Asia published in 2017. My latest article is on Central Asian food nationalisms on the internet. So, I am pretty passionate about studying food and enjoy cooking and tasting various dishes. I am experienced in networking being myself an open and communicative person. With pleasure, I would join Stephanie on widening the content and auditorium of the EASA Food network on Facebook and Twitter.
I suggest starting from a virtual talk on networking goals, expectations, and further steps. One of the ideas is to share with blurbs of our studies, interests, new, surprising or challenging food-related encounters including photos and videos. Another one can be sharing short recommendations on the works of each other as well as summaries of publications on the non-English languages to make them visible.
Candidate 2:
Dr Natallia Paulovich, The Centre for East European Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw
As a convenor, I would propose organizing a Zoom meeting for all network members as the feeling of togetherness is crucial during the current situation. During the meeting, network members will be able to present what is going on in the network and briefly recap networks’ findings after the last EASA conference in virtual Lisbon.
My next step involves gathering a list of publications related to the anthropology of food that appeared on the Anthropology of Food mailing list during the last year to have them together. This will allow the researchers and those who teach food related courses to be up to date with the latest literature within the subfield. This list (in a form of Google Doc, for example) will be constantly updated.
I propose organizing a Reading group (or even more than one if it appears that network members will decide to choose specific topics within the anthropology of food) where participants will discuss contemporary literature on food in connection to gender, class, neoliberalism, daily functioning and many other topics.
Candidate 3:
PhD Cristian Terry
Swiss-Peruvian anthropologist
PhD in Social Sciences - University of Lausanne
Master in Development Studies – The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva)
My fieldwork studies focus on tourism dynamics and effects in the Cusco region (Peru). I am currently doing ethnographic research on the COVID-19 pandemic, its evolution, and its impact in Peru. I am focusing on Peruvian food, particularly the ceviche, inside and outside Peru, for which I have already conducted a multi-sited ethnography. Based on my preliminary findings, I have submitted a post-doctoral proposal on COVID-19 effects on Cusco’s touristic restaurants (under evaluation).
If elected as the new EASA Food Network Convenor, I would start a blog-series in social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) about COVID-19 pandemic effects on food like food markets closures, the rediscovery of local food, impacts on culinary tourism, street food vendors, etc. I would invite the EASA members to publish pictures and comments about the dishes they research and share my ongoing multi-sited research on ceviche. Based on the thus acquired material, I propose to realize a publication or a panel.
Click here to vote for you favorite candidate
