Turning the Tables: Exploring Animosity and Deception When Dining with Enemies
Location
Wedgewood Conference Center, Room 4094
Presentation Type
Panel Discussion
Start Date
1-10-2015 3:00 PM
Description
Many philosophers—Derrida, Kant, etc.—have explored the significance of hospitality in our everyday lives. Hospitality happens all the time, in every single interaction between human beings, no matter if these interactions are friendly or not. Given that hospitality always takes place between a host and a guest and that there is always an element of strangeness associated with these acts, it is not surprising that they often take place over food. A first date, a new neighbor moving in across the way, a meeting with a client—each of these situations puts people on edge, out of their comfort zone and, food has a way of putting them at ease. And why not? The consumption of food is a universal need. Despite differences in flavors and tastes, eating is foreign to no one. But what happens when the people in these situations are not merely strangers, but enemies? What would happen if Dumbledore shared a meal with Voldemort, if Adam offered Satan a drink? In a series of short essays, this panel will explore these situations: what leads up to them, how they are organized, and what happens in their aftermath.
Recommended Citation
Harrell, Meredith; Spilburg, Paul; Watts, Carmen; and Wynans, Alyssa, "Turning the Tables: Exploring Animosity and Deception When Dining with Enemies" (2015). Humanities Symposium. 12.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2015/2015/12
Turning the Tables: Exploring Animosity and Deception When Dining with Enemies
Wedgewood Conference Center, Room 4094
Many philosophers—Derrida, Kant, etc.—have explored the significance of hospitality in our everyday lives. Hospitality happens all the time, in every single interaction between human beings, no matter if these interactions are friendly or not. Given that hospitality always takes place between a host and a guest and that there is always an element of strangeness associated with these acts, it is not surprising that they often take place over food. A first date, a new neighbor moving in across the way, a meeting with a client—each of these situations puts people on edge, out of their comfort zone and, food has a way of putting them at ease. And why not? The consumption of food is a universal need. Despite differences in flavors and tastes, eating is foreign to no one. But what happens when the people in these situations are not merely strangers, but enemies? What would happen if Dumbledore shared a meal with Voldemort, if Adam offered Satan a drink? In a series of short essays, this panel will explore these situations: what leads up to them, how they are organized, and what happens in their aftermath.
Comments
Convocation Credit: Academic Lecture