We don't just eat to survive; through food, we negotiate cultural affiliations, individuality and community. In other words: we are what we eat. That's why eating (or not eating) plays such an important role in Scandinavian literature, whether it's Michel's soup bowl, the ascetic refusal to eat in Knut Hamsun's Hunger, or the great feast in Karen Blixen's Babette's Feast.
Together with scholars from Germany and abroad, we will examine the functions of food in the literatures of Northern European countries. We want to explore what can be said with and about food and why some texts may also be devoured. The conference is embedded in the seminars (Gem)einsam Hungern (Räthel) and (Gem)einsam Essen (Westfeld), which are offered during the summer semester at the Institute for Finnish and Scandinavian Studies.
Speakers:
- Prof. Dr Stefanie von Schnurbein (Humboldt University of Berlin)
- Prof. Dr Mia Österlund (Åbo Akademi University)
- Prof. Dr Sophie Wennerscheid (University of Copenhagen)
- Hanna Rinderle (Humboldt University of Berlin)
- Merle Heiduczek, B.A. (University of Bremen)