Date: May 7
Time: 5pm (GMT 4+)
To join the webinar, you need to register here.
Food and feminism highlights the complex ways in which gender norms, power dynamics, and social inequalities shape our relationship with food and food systems. By addressing these issues, feminists strive to create a more just and equitable world where everyone has access to nutritious food, opportunities for economic empowerment, and the freedom to make choices about their bodies and lives. To stress the importance of this topic, we are organizing an important and intersectional webinar, with speakers from different countries and cultural backgrounds to bring in their experiences, share their knowledge, and have a valuable conversation on the topic.
Speakers:
- Armine Karapetyan
Armine is a feminist activist, social worker, and holistic wellbeing specialist with a passion for exploring the intersections of various political movements. She explores the relationship between food and feminism, recognizing its impact on different dynamics, from how/why the food we eat was produced to our food choices, access and cultural perceptions.
Title: Exploring Food, Feminism, and Politics
During this discussion we will explore the intersection of food and feminism, food as a political reality, and how gender dynamics influence our relationship with food and body image. We will also discuss how food choices, access, and cultural perceptions intersect with different political movements.
2. Mariam Tchantchaleishvili
Mariam is a sociologist and gender studies specialist. Her areas of interest include the anthropology of care, and body and health politics. Since 2022, Mariam is Program Manager at Women’s Fund in Georgia. She is also a lecturer at Tbilisi State University teaching an introductory course on feminist theory. Mariam is the co-author of the children’s book “Brave Girls from the Past of Georgia.”
Title: The myth of “healthy” in the capitalist ableist systems
Mariam’s presentation will focus on a feminist critique of the concept of “healthy” and debunking the myth around it. She will delve into how the neo-liberal capitalist system deprives us of essentials such as adequate housing, access to food, healthcare, and support networks and at the same time, forces us to believe that only individual choices determine health outcomes. Additionally, Mariam will explore the relationship between food and health, emphasizing its role in shaping holistic body politics and describe the broader social, economic, and political factors influencing health and well-being.
3. Shokhinakhon Bakhromova
Shokhinakhon performs as Communications and Partnerships manager at the IAIS. Prior to this she worked as a coordinator of the CallUmida.uz (Anti Street harassment initiative) initiative under AccLab and specialist on gender issues at UNDP Uzbekistan. Through all her activities she supports people-to-people connectivity in Central Asia, women empowerment through leadership and mentorship. She studies and promotes the Heart-at-peace philosophy and believes in the power of ideas, sincerity and courage. She holds authorship on “WomanUP” women empowerment project at the American Center Tashkent, and has been coordinating its activities since 2019.
Title: Food, Women, and Power in Uzbekistan
This talk explores the fascinating intersection of food, femininity, and power structures in Uzbek culture. Drawing on personal experience, Shokhinakhon will delve into how Uzbek cuisine transcends mere sustenance, becoming a language of love and a marker of social status. She will navigate the intricate world of women’s roles in Uzbek society, where they are both passive recipients of tradition and active participants in its preservation. Unveiling the complexities of the female hierarchy within communities, we’ll see how women are the backbone of the family, wielding power through their culinary prowess while simultaneously upholding patriarchal structures.
4. Marija Jakovljević
Maria is a Serbian feminist with intersectional engagement across leftist, feminist, green and interrelated movements. Her work spans from political analysis, research and education, initiatives/organizational development, transitions and strengthening, to resourcing social change and collective care. She believes that our movements need to be more self-reflective, unlearn harmful patterns that we unintentionally reproduce, and build the capacity to relate to each other with more empathy, mutual accountability, and also joy.
Title: Economic background and ethical & political implications of food regimes
Marija will explore how economic changes shaped our food regimes – our beliefs and consumption, and what is our maneuvering space considering the ethical but also political implications of such behaviors. She will use the lenses of political ecology and feminism to unpack historical, current and potential future approaches to food regimes.
