Scientific objectives

The IEHCA/François-Rabelais Summer School is developing in European, and even worldwide, importance in terms of the presentation of scientific and academic research. In particular, it enables students to equip themselves with the necessary scientific tools for research work, giving them the opportunity to participate in the exchange of information, both between themselves and with the teachers/lecturers. The information thus exchanged may principally be theoretical and bibliographical, but it may also concern the results of experiments which have been carried out in the field. Participants can also perfect and polish the methodology used to analyse and resolve problems as well as being able to gain access to different points of view in the disciplines represented.

For the September 2010 Summer School, the scientific coordinators have chosen to examine the key: “Food, memory and cultural heritage”. Memory, that is to say the way in which an individual or a collectivity construct their past in remembering it, is a crucial factor for researching the history and the culture of food. Surprisingly enough, memory has not systematically been put into proper perspective or, for that matter, been sufficiently explored, even though the interdisciplinary and international studies on this subject (“memory studies”) have recently had a particularly active development. In cultural politics, particularly that of the intangible cultural heritage (thanks to UNESCO), rapid and fundamental developments have taken place, among others, in the domain of culinary cultures. The goal of the ECU is to adress these theories, debates and methods and try to extract the kinds of questions and principles that are most pertinent for the work of historians, social scientists and yet other approaches to the subject food. The goal is to stimulate a lively dialogue between the different disciplines that will be represented.

Teaching team

 Thibaut BOULAY, Maître de conférences, histoire ancienne, Université de Tours, France
 Lucie DUPRE, Chargée de recherche à l’Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Ivry, France
 Allen J. GRIECO, Senior Research Associate, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Villa I Tatti, Florence, Italy Marc JACOBS, Directeur de l’Interface flamande pour le patrimoine culturel (FARO), historien – ethnologue, Brussel, België
 Arthur LIZIE, Associate Professor, Media Studies & Communication Technologies, Department of Communication Studies, Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts, USA
 Fabio PARASECOLI, Academic Director, Gustolab School for Food and Culture, Rome ; Adjunct Professor in Food Studies, New York University ; Visiting Professor at the University of Gastronomic Studies, Pollenzo and Colorno
 Peter SCHOLLIERS, Professeur d’histoire contemporaine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, België
 David SUTTON, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA
 John SUTTON, Professor, Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, Sydney, Australia
 Harry G. WEST, Professor of Anthropology, Chair, SOAS Food Studies Centre, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK