Call for Contributions
Slow Food for Thought: Language, Culture, Societies, and Connections
Le Ragioni Del Gusto
Essays are being sought for a fully peer-reviewed, edited collection to be entitled Slow Food for Thought that discusses themes common in Italian Studies and multidisciplinary subjects focusing on food, foodways, cultures, memory, language, identity, immigration, and ecological challenges. A vast panorama of viewpoints provides a junction that invites and corresponds to thorough study of world languages, literature and cultures. At the core of the project are Carlo Petrini’s original Slow Food principles and writings. Among our collaborators is prominent Italian scholar from Princeton University, Pietro Frassica, whose work focuses on depictions of food in Italian literature through anthropological, cultural, and socio-political lenses. The editors of the proposed volume are Denise Caterinacci, Senior Instructor of Italian at Case Western Reserve University and Cheryl Toman, Professor of French at the University of Alabama. The project has been generously funded by the Ragusa Foundation for the Humanities in New York City.
In response to the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, Carlo Petrini founded the Slow Food movement in Italy in 1986. Within three years, Petrini’s movement had become an international organization. For example, similar activism was soon witnessed in France—to name one example—a country that shares a long history of valuing food and cuisine, as evidenced in the perfection demanded for regional dishes. Today, Slow Food has chapters (or “convivia”) in over 160 countries. The co-editors aim to discuss the impact of the Slow Food Movement in all corners of the globe. In 2001, Petrini wrote in his book Slow Food: Le Ragioni del gusto that the goal of Slow Food was to improve life for everyone on the planet—regardless of social class—through transforming our perspectives on food, culture and consumption. Today’s global organization continues to promote interdisciplinary theories, research, and education in a unique way.
The proposed cross-disciplinary volume would be the first of its kind, having overarching themes that intersect current and anticipated Slow Food and socio-economic changes. The volume is intended for a vast array of readers, academics and informed non-academics alike. The selected collaborators will seek to answer questions connected to the worldwide movement, with the Italian model as the base.
The culminating publication will be of interest in fields such as literature, Cultural Studies, Women’s and Gender studies, Cinema Studies, Environmental Studies, Discard Studies, Language Studies, and the Digital Humanities, among others.
Possible topics may include, among others:
*Symbolism and importance of certain foods in a culture
*Social upheaval caused by disruptions in the food supply
*The role of women in the Slow Food movement
*Food practices determined by consequences of history, colonization, migration, sociopolitical realities, and
environmental factors
*Legislation (seen in the EU and in other nations and regions) guaranteeing the survival of traditional foods
*Literary analysis of works where food and culture are at the center
*The legacy and continuing impact on popular culture and worldwide connections of the icon of Italian sensibility and humanity and charismatic leader, the late Carlo Petrini, in an increasingly impersonal and industrial-scale world. For reference, see “What remains today of Petrini’s original vision to redefine food by means of quality, pleasure, environment and social justice?” Pestalozza, A., (22 Aug., 2026) Buono, Pulito e giusto, 20 anni dopo l’idea di Petrini è ancora forte. askanews.it.
*The Slow Food movement as the framework to support study of world languages and cultures, while including other disciplines as part of that study
*The Slow Food Movement as a framework for studying and understanding the effects of globalization on people
and countries
*Cinematic and literary creations inspired by Slow Food philosophies and activities
*Farm-to-table enterprises and their influence on the local economy and contemporary food culture
*The impact of the Slow Food movement in Italy and in other countries
*Lasting effects of the movement on food cultivation and preparation practices
Readers of the volume in numerous disciplines will recognize the interconnections presented in the collection’s essays. The project aims to provide both a theoretical base and an analysis of real and authentic on-the-ground situations through exploring certain questions related to the Slow Food movement in Italy.
Essays of 10-15 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman) will be accepted until January 5, 2027. Send submissions and inquiries to both Denise Caterinacci (dmc7@case.edu) and Cheryl Toman (catoman@ua.edu). Essays will be peer-reviewed and authors of accepted articles will have the opportunity to make revisions accordingly.
