Kimberly Jackson,
Ph.D.
Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador, 2020-21
Chair & Associate Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Food Studies Program Director
Spelman College
Food Studies as a
Transdisciplinary Academic Movement at Spelman College
Spelman College, a black women's liberal
arts institution and global powerhouse, is known for being at the forefront of
transformative interdisciplinary projects in higher education. Founded in 1881,
Spelman has preserved documents from the late nineteenth century of the
College's agricultural history. Recent faculty and student engagement in campus
food "activities" has sparked interest in how food is used to examine
political and socio-historical questions on the causes and consequences of
black women's labor (productive and unrecognized), food access, federal
policies, land ownership and theft, healthcare, and food security. Spelman College
is the first and only historically black college/university (HBCU) to have a
Food Studies program, although other HBCU's offer programs in agricultural
sciences. Our curricular thrust is to create a sustained Food Studies program
that guides students in questioning the very foundations of what we consider
"food" to be, challenging them to consider how food - its naming,
production, distribution, and consumption - is historically contingent and, is
simultaneously a site of pleasure and power dynamics. This talk will examine
the transdisciplinary academic movement that has taken place to establish an
interdisciplinary food studies program with an African diasporic lens; create
community-engaged projects and global opportunities for students in food studies;
and establish an annual food studies event exploring the intersections of race,
gender, and class in food justice work.
Zoom Recording ID: 92640901746
UUID: BgI8tliYSMuDzvyhR+YuWQ==
Meeting Time: 2020-09-29T19:45:36Z