Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)

International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)

📍Jaipur, India🗓️ 9-10 January 2026
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The Edible Palimpsest: Food Practice as Strategic Ritualization

Authors
Abhishek Godara1, *, Priyanka Yadav2
1PhD Research Scholar, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Poornima University, Jaipur, 303905, Rajasthan, India
2Associate Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Poornima University, Jaipur, 303905, Rajasthan, India
*Corresponding author. Email: abgodara95@gmail.com
Corresponding Author
Abhishek Godara
Available Online 30 June 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_37How to use a DOI?
Keywords
food practices; ritualization; revisionist narratives; taxonomic schemes; cultural memory; sacred power; food palimpsest; social hierarchies
Abstract

This study examines how ritualization and normative construction in food through myths lead to the development of complex taxonomic schemes that organize meanings, identities, and social boundaries. Through analytical exploration of Ira Mukhoty’s novel Song of Draupadi, the chapter navigates palimpsestic dimensions associated with food practices to reconsider the politicizing and hierarchical notions of marginalization through food. The analysis utilizes Catherine Bell’s framework of ritualization and Colleen Taylor Sen’s historical account of food practices in ancient India to demonstrate how food functions as both a site of epistemological authority and strategic power. The study reveals that food practices are not arbitrary but constitute intricate taxonomic systems that encode knowledge claims, sustain cultural continuity, and reinforce hierarchical social structures.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
30 June 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-583-6
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_37How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Abhishek Godara
AU  - Priyanka Yadav
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
TI  - The Edible Palimpsest: Food Practice as Strategic Ritualization
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 440
EP  - 454
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_37
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_37
ID  - Godara2026
ER  -