We cordially invite you to an online lecture by Prof. Mari Niva (Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki). The lecture is part of the artec colloquium in summer semester 2022.

Practices, Change and Persistence in Sustainable Food Consumption.
Prof. Mari Niva
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki

Food production and consumption are major contributors to climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. In recent years, there has been increasing debate about the need for a sustainability transition in the whole food system. In the realm of food consumption, it is well-established that in Western affluent countries diets should change to include more plant-based and less animal-based foods. Accustomed patterns and practices of eating are increasingly being questioned in public discourse, policies are developed to encourage consumers to eat in more sustainable ways, and plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products are entering and establishing their position on the market. However, established routines, patterns and practices do not change easily, and the transition is slow and involves a range of tensions.

In this presentation, I will examine these tensions from a practice-theoretical perspective, looking into how everyday activities take shape as part of social practices and related understandings and meanings, material infrastructures, routinized and normalized modes of action, as well as ethical, affective and other commitments and engagements. I will present findings from recent studies highlighting both changes and persistence in practices of food and eating, discuss how these vary in different social groups, and reflect on how such variations may be taken into account in practice-theoretical analyses on food, eating, and sustainability.

The colloquium will start at 12:15 pm and will last approximately one hour. The link to the video conference (zoom) can be found here: uni-bremen.zoom.us/j/97681432503

As a research workshop, the colloquium of the artec Research Center for Sustainability this summer semester focuses on projects that are being worked on at the artec. These will be complemented by guest lectures of external scientists.

The colloquium addresses to scientists, students and interested people of all faculties. The program of the colloquium with further lectures can be found here.