Can Food Be Disciplined?

In researching, Dr Abramson begins as the proverbial rat de bibliothèque or “library rat,” excited to discover historical documents and narratives, but she also nurtures an abiding curiosity about the social world, about the interplay of individual and group, and about how structures and strictures inform mentalities, actions, and interactions. To establish contexts for documents as well as for practices, Abramson therefore pursues connections across disciplines and geographies, to discover patterns not perceptible from the usual disciplinary standpoints. She will bring her experience in literary criticism, cultural and material history, and ethics to this discussion of food and history.