Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series - Febe Armanios: "Heavenly Bakes: Food, Gender, and Religion"

10/11

Presenter: Febe Armanios

“Heavenly Bakes: Food, Gender, and Religion among Coptic Orthodox Christians”

This talk will survey the ways that gender plays a role in food traditions within the modern Coptic Orthodox Christian community, both in Egypt and in diasporic contexts. The talk specifically examines gendered interpretations of fasting and baking traditions. Through a study of ritualistic tools, textual sources, and recent Christian visual media, the lecture shows how Coptic women in this patriarchal and conservative milieu have used the kitchen and modern media to assert their religious expertise and, consequently, how they have played a critical role in upholding communal food traditions.