Events

This event is jointly organized by Yale-NUS College and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

“Healthy” and “sustainable” food—organic, farm-to-table, local, raw, vegan, ethically-sourced, to name a few—have increasingly become widely available in many places in the Asia-Pacific region. Why have these trends become so popular lately? Are they just fads or do they signify a lasting transition in people’s diets? Do they parallel what is happening in other parts of the world? What are the impacts of these trends on places, environments, societies, cultures, and individual bodies? What do we need to know to understand and navigate the proliferation of these ideas and foodstuffs? Why do we need to be attentive to these trends? These are just some of the questions that we will attempt to explore in this forum. The forum aims to discuss these question in a transdisciplinary setting. Meaning, while questions are initially examined from a scholarly stand point, state, industry, and civil society representatives are engaged in the conversation and exchange of ideas. In the first part of the forum, two short talks will be given to map out “what we know so far” (i.e. a synthesis of findings from the “healthy” and “sustainable” food academic workshop) and “how we are knowing” (i.e. a report on the current state of food studies in the region) these trends from the perspective of academia. The second part will then be opened up for discussion among participants to talk about, for example, the implications of what we’ve learned so far and what we can and need to do in relation to what we already know.

The schedule of the forum will be as follows:

1:30 – 1:45 pm              Welcome Remarks

1:45 – 2:15 pm             Globalization and the Rise of ‘Healthy’ and ‘Sustainable’ Food in the Asia-Pacific: Workshop Synthesis
by Asst. Professor Marvin Joseph Montefrio, Yale-NUS College, Singapore

2:15 – 2:45 pm             State of Food Studies in the Asia-Pacific
by Prof. Richard Wilk, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

2:45 – 3:30 pm             Open Forum

3:30 pm – onwards      Informal conversations over tea break

WORKSHOP (30-31 JULY 2018)

This forum is being held in conjunction with the 2-day closed door workshop, which will take place at Yale-NUS College from 30-31 July 2018. There will be 15 workshop participants, who will share their latest scholarship on food health and sustainability.

Participation in the closed-door workshop is limited and by invitation only. Kindly forward all enquiries to Dr Marvin Joseph Montefrio at marvin.montefrio@yale-nus.edu.sg.

CONVENORS

Prof Jonathan Rigg
Director and Leader of the Inter-Asia Engagements Cluster at Asia Research Institute,
National University of Singapore
E | aridir@nus.edu.sg

Prof Richard Wilk
Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director, Indiana University Food Institute, USA
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
E | wilkr@indiana.edu

Dr Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio
Assistant Professor, Yale-NUS College, Singapore
E | marvin.montefrio@yale-nus.edu.sg