RCS 202: Food, Religion and Culture

Veggie market

This course is an investigation into the intersections of religion, culture, and food. We will address food prohibitions, rituals involving food and food symbols that are present (or absent) in the various traditions and will pay particular attention to how religious groups use food to construct relationships (real or imagined) between individuals, the community, and nonhuman beings (animals, deities, ancestors), and to construct and maintain cultural norms and values.

Course outcomes/objectives  

  • Identify the major theoretical issues in the anthropology of food and religion;
  • Develop a basic knowledge of a variety of religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions;
  • Critically engage with discourses around race, gender, migration, class, colonialism, and the impact of intersectional identity on religious practice;
  • Develop skills in experiential learning and writing through course assignments;
  • Develop an appreciation for the diversity of religiosity in various cultures and contexts

Topics may include  

  • Food prohibitions and regulations
  • Food and identity 
  • Indigenous foodways and relationality
  • Food, religion and (post)colonialism
  • Religious food activism
  • Religion, food, and climate 

Instructor: Dr. Rachel Brown