CHIN 318 Taste, Culture and Power: Asia and Global Foodways

As a basic human need, food has had a powerful influence on world civilization. This course uses Asia as a hub to examine the historical and contemporary transcontinental and transnational flows of food and its significant impact on societies and cultures. It looks into how the migration of food, both out from Asia and into Asia throughout history, connected different regions and cultures in the world and how this “inter-connectedness” has shaped human experiences, societies and cultures. The second half of the course pays special attention to the globalization of Asian food and the making of ethnic cuisines in contemporary societies (especially in North America), and urge us to re-think issues regarding race, ethnicity, immigration, gender and identity in food culture and politics. All readings and discussion are in English. No prerequisites.