CCU professor to discuss food and African-American identity
Gillian Richards-Greaves, assistant professor of anthropology, will examine the formation of community and identity within the African-American population by discussing how the way we produce and consume food speaks to our values, history and the complexity of our identities.
"Food is a crucial aspect of every society because it serves as a source of nourishment as well as code for understanding histories and embedded values," said Richards-Greaves. "Whether we plant our own crops or obtain them from distant lands, eat alone or with large extended families, use knives and forks or eat with our hands, the way we produce and consume food speaks to our values, our history, and our identities. In this lecture, we will examine the ways that various ethnic groups have contributed to the tapestry of 'American food.'"
Richards-Greaves is an anthropologist and ethnomusicologist whose research interests include the musical, cultural, linguistic and ritual expressions of the African diaspora, particularly of the English-speaking Caribbean. She has drawn on interdisciplinary training and research to publish peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and other scholarly essays. She is currently working on her first monograph titled "Come to My Kwe-Kwe': Ritual Performance and African Guyanese Rediasporization in the United States," which will be published by the University Press of Mississippi. She earned a Ph.D. in anthropology and ethnomusicology from Indiana University at Bloomington.
The American Studies Lecture Series is designed to provide multidisciplinary perspective and reflective discussion on issues involving American culture, identity, history, politics and society. CCU faculty from departments ranging from history, art and communication to anthropology, theater and cultural studies participate in the program.
The Myrtle Beach Education Center is located at 900 79th Ave. N. For more information, contact Carol Osborne, director of American Studies and Community Outreach, at osborne@coastal.edu or call 843-349-2658.