Community Conversation: Food (and) Sovereignty in Palestine
“Food sovereignty” and “food security” are central concepts in discussions of the relationship between power and peoples’ need for nourishment and sustenance. Even as Israeli policies have sought to restrict and restrain Palestinian food sovereignty, often in the name of “security,” Palestinians have used food to assert alternative forms of sovereignty and connections to the land.
Building on our first community conversation about safety and security––and how and for whom these concepts are invoked––we will discuss sovereignty and its possibilities for thinking through, critiquing, and building power. We will hear about how food has been weaponized in Israeli systems of occupation, apartheid, and genocide, and discuss what we can learn from Palestinian acts of steadfastness and resistance related to food and farming.
Two faculty members will facilitate the conversation. Food and drinks will be provided. Students, staff, and faculty are all invited to participate, and required to first register here: https://forms.gle/FAdf42hnvygQrDLz5
For an infographic overview of the issue, see Palestinian Food Sovereignty – Visualizing Palestine
For other optional reading in advance or as follow-up to the conversation, we offer these short pieces.
