Anthropology events at the Horniman

I just came across a set of events at the Horniman Museum under the Collections People Stories: Anthropology series of talks. The first theme presented will be Food and Feasting, which focuses on Food Anthropology. As a growing discipline, Food Anthropology focuses on the role of food in societies, the ability to create social bonds through food, as well as discussing food memories and addressing them through inter-cultural exchange. In all honesty, I can only remember one person as an undergrad who studied food anthropology, but apparently things are taking off for the sub-discipline (as much as anything has taken off for anthropology in recent years).

The first talk in the series is presented by Helen Saberi and called ‘Tea Drinking Along the Silk Road’. The history and different customs of tea drinking will be covered, and the talk takes place tonight at 7p! Unfortunately, it seems as though the free event has been oversubscribed, but of even more interest to me is the next talk being presented by Dr. Andy Mills called ‘Western Polynesian Food and Drink: Acts of Power’, May 21, 2013, 7p-8:30p.

Fijian kava bowl, Horniman collection

This talk will use examples of Fijian and other Western Polynesian objects from the Horniman collection to convey the messages of power that are tied to the ceremonial consumption of the drink kava, as well as feasting ceremonies where consumption was power.

http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/event/western-polynesian-food-and-drink-acts-of-power