The project, 'Negotiating the Modernity Crisis: Globalization, economic gain and the loss of traditional and sustainable food practices in Turkey', has been awarded funding by the AHRC.

Sardis

Dr Rowan will be collaborating on the project with Prof. Christina Luke, who is based at Koç University, Istanbul, and project partners Kaymakçı Archaeological Project and Archaeological Exploration of Sardis. The project will run for 24 months and aims to articulate and find solutions to two of Turkey's ongoing food challenges by looking at both ancient food systems and modern practices. The first challenge is avoiding the slide into a fully globalized food system whereby traditional food practices are eliminated and the valuable knowledge lost. Increasing urbanization and a neoliberal attitude to agriculture has already significantly altered food acquisition and consumption practices. The second challenge is to negotiate an ongoing struggle with modernity, namely finding a solution to the desire to continue to practice traditional foodways yet simultaneously modernize, a struggle particularly pertinent for women as they increasingly enter the work force. A series of workshops, and archaeobotanical research will result in a museum exhibition in Istanbul and the publication of an open access cookbook.