WUNRN
Call for Applications - The Politics
of Food:
Gender Roles & Environmental Changes
17th – 24th October 2010
Italy, Bolsena – Convento S.Maria del Giglio
Up to 15 participants are admitted
with full scholarship and reimbursement of travel expenses. Scholarship are
available for citizens of EU member states and of Liechtenstein Norway,
Turkey; Italians are not eligible for cost coverage under this project, but
participation is possible by covering one’s expenses (travel, food and
accommodation).
Contact: puntidivista@pelagus.it
Industrialized food production has
led to ambiguous roles for women who face both gains and losses. There has been
a gain in equality with some women able to enter the work force (often to work
in food chains). They have been able to manage to manage some of their family
duties of care through outsourcing of food production. But the downside
has been a lack of knowledge and skills in the actual process of food
production and nutrition leading to imbalanced diets of fast food which in turn
are leading to obesity and other forms of ill health. There also similar little
understood changes to the environment with growing agribusiness, global trade
and urbanization. Despite the changes in women’s work loads within the
family and community there has not been a parallel transformation of gender
roles – it is still mostly women who fix the meals. Also, regulation on safety
has also become an important though little discussed feature of modern European
life with the globalised food market. The workshop will also explore the
European Union polities and institutions that determine regulation and policy
on food, and will stimulate debates among participants examine what is
happening in their country as well as consider possible impact of food
regulations in other EU countries particularly newly member states.
The workshop will explore the response to some of the negative changes in food
by looking at lessons learned by a variety of initiatives, included the slow
food movement, founded in Italy. The focus will be on ways to regain knowledge
of nutritious food preparation and revalue women’s role in the home in
different European settings. The multicultural participation of the workshop
will encourage participants to rethink and redefine the gender relationship to
food. Knowledge on food security, economics, sustainability and ecology as well
as social science and politics will be brought together in innovative teaching
modules.
By bringing together participants from different countries[1] <#_ftn1>
the workshop will explore the different European contexts of food, women and
environment and explore ways in which to balance the pluses of modern life with
a conservation of knowledge and skills around food and nutrition. The
discussions will be linked to European wide gender and environment and food
security networks to see what is required to be changed in the European context
to regain the balance and food and health security. A special section will de
dedicated to focus how common European and global food safety regulations
interact with food traditions, food security and gender, especially in the EU countries
which have joined the Union more recently.
Objectives
1. Acquire a unique multisectoral
perspective on the transformation of food systems produced by industrialisation
and globalisation of markets
2. Learn about the rise of agribusiness and about the commodification of food
in food industry
3. Learn about institutions and policies at European and international level
which are essential stakeholders in the food panorama.
4. Analyse transformation of food systems and related economies through a gender
lens (changing role of women towards food, women in workforce and in food
industry, women in agriculture and in agribusiness) and gain an understanding
of main issues debated in ecofeminism on the topics
5. Learn about the slow food movement in Italy and about the local food
semi-industrial production and cuisine regionally in Italy
6. Learn some traditional knowledge on food preparation through hands-on
sessions
7. Learn how to use blogs and other social
media for disseminating information, creating networks of people with common
interest, document the learning experience
8. Network with other institutions and networks engaged in food, gender and
environment to understand how to encourage greater awareness of ‘slow food’,
traditional cuisine and how to appreciate the importance of women’s roles in
food production and culture.
Venue
The workshop will be held in the
center of Italy, 120 Km north of Rome, at the XVII Cent. Franciscan Convent
S.Maria del Giglio (http://www.conventobolsena.org)
in Bolsena, managed by the organization Punti di Vista.
Accomodation will be in the Convent in single or double rooms, and shared
bathroom.
Participation
Up to 15 participants are admitted
with full scholarship and reimbursement of travel expenses. Scholarship are
available for citizens of EU member states and of Liechtenstein, Norway,
Turkey; Italians are not eligible for cost coverage under this project, but
participation is possible by covering one’s expenses (travel, food and
accommodation).
Priority will be given to:
- teachers
- former or present students of women’s studies
- Retired people involved in civic activities or
in university education with at least some basic knowledge of internet
- Development workers at local or international
level involved in NGOs or other civil society organizations.
The workshop will be held in English.
Applications
Applications will be received until
the 13th of September.
Those interested to participate should send before that deadline:
1) a CV in EU format in English (the template can be downloaded at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/EuropassCV/CVTemplate.csp
<http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/EuropassCV/CVTemplate.csp>
)
2) a motivation letter explaining the interest of the candidate in this
workshop
3) a short statement (max 1000 characters) on what the candidate plan to use
the acquired knowledge.
Applications should be sent to:
Associazione Culturale Punti di Vista
http://www.conventobolsena.org
Results will be communicated to each applicant on the 20th of September.