Conflict Cuisine®
Where the discussion
about the power of food
in preventing conflict
and creating cross-cultural
understanding starts.
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Conflict Cuisine
The Kitchen as the New Venue of Foreign Policy
Conflict is multidimensional, as is the concept of food security. Yet, despite the enormous amount of resources devoted to humanitarian purposes and development in conflict or post-conflict countries, we still do not fully understand what levels or aspects of food insecurity are most likely to directly contribute to or cause conflict, or the ways in which food can or does serve as a vehicle of reconciliation and transition.
Conflict Cuisine seeks to contribute to interdisciplinary academic research in this area.
Johanna Mendelson Forman is a creative force in peacebuilding. Throughout her decades of work in war-torn areas, she has found innovative ways to bring people together. When she saw the promise of food, Johanna created the field of conflict cuisine and re-imagined how our palates lead to peace.
Rick Barton
Former Ambassador and author of Peace Works: American’s Unifying Role in a Turbulent World
Johanna’s deep knowledge of foreign policy brings nuance and sophistication to the surprisingly complex topic of food in a volatile world. From the Middle East to Central America, Johanna’s ground-breaking work is helping the field to better understand the impactful role culture and food play in conflict zones.
Anthony Garrett
Anthony Garrett & Associates – Innovative Strategies for Public Affairs & Advocacy Internews, Senior Advisor on Policy & Strategic Initiatives
Through her global work with the emerging movements of social gastronomy and culinary diplomacy, Johanna Mendelson Forman has helped bring the value of food as a tool for political change and socio-economic development into focus. Her unique experience in regions of conflict abroad, where food can be both a catalyst and a solution for instability, adds an important perspective to conversations about food-system change on both the local and global level. What’s more, she makes a mean brisket.
Mitchell Davis, Ph.D.
Chief Strategy Officer, James Beard Foundation
Conflict Cuisine
Gastrodiplomacy
Gastrodiplomacy is a subset of public diplomacy that uses food as a means of persuading audiences about the power of cuisine to promote specific foreign policy goals. The term entered the popular vocabulary in 2002, after an article in The Economist described Global Thai, a program launched by the government of Thailand to promote its cuisine abroad by providing financial incentives for Thai nationals to open restaurants in foreign countries. Like public diplomacy, gastrodiplomacy seeks to change foreign perceptions of a country and assumes a country’s image or brand can be managed to gain favor with foreign publics…
Johanna@conflictcuisine.com
Washington, DC
