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Taboos at the Table
Purity, Pollution, and the Politics of Manners
Facilitator
Who gets to eat what, how, and with whom?
In South Asia, food has never been just about sustenance, but rather about hierarchy, belonging, and belief. From caste-based taboos of purity and pollution to colonial notions of civility and hygiene, every meal tells a story of power and exclusion.
This session unpacks the politics of the plate: tracing Ambedkar’s critique in Beef, Brahmins, and Broken Men, the Islamic philosophies of fasting and prohibition, and the gendered labour that sustains domestic kitchens. It will also examine how global veganism intersects (and sometimes clashes) with South Asian histories of food, faith, and resistance.
An exploration of what it means to eat ethically, communally, and consciously in a world where the simple act of sharing food remains deeply political.
In collaboration with:
Facilitator
Aastha D
Aastha D is a writer, educator, and the Founding Editor of Proseterity. They write essays on design, art, architecture, and culture, drawing from their background in architecture and an MS in Critical, Curatorial, Conceptual Practices from Columbia University GSAPP, New York. This workshop will be conducted via Critiqala, the education vertical of Proseterity, a literary magazine and cultural platform dedicated to fostering critical thinking in the public sphere through words, images, and workshops.
