Environmental Humanities Research Group

Environmental Research Group Presentation

Environmental Humanities Members

- Dr. Christopher Drohan, Philosophy
- Dr. Juan Carlos Rozo, Languages and Literatures
- Pavithra Priyadarshini Selvakumar, Environmental Science

Bringing Back the Bigger Table in 2025

“Foods of Home”, in Association with the Revival of “Building a Bigger Table”

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an end to the oral history project, “Building a Bigger Table”, archived now in the OSU library. This project aimed to uncover the sources of food insecurity in Oklahoma, while also “illuminat[ing] individuals’ experience with food insecurity, discover[ing] local foodways of rural Oklahomans, and explor[ing] the ways that food practices impact individuals’ identity and sense of dignity.” With those goals in mind, we are planning on hosting a community food event that deeply explores the vibrant evolution of food culture in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the current state of food insecurity in our city, today. “Building a Bigger Table" is proposed as a one-day event in the early spring of 2025.

This event will feature a potluck, with a guest speaker on sustainability, Indigenous food traditions, food waste, and food insecurity. It will be open to the public and advertised at Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center, in addition to many other venues (see below). Guests will be encouraged – though, not required – to bring a dish that reminds them of ‘home’ (in whatever sense that word means to them). We will assign seating at random and encourage folks to share their tales of ‘home cooking’ with each other. Volunteers will be asked to record their stories as part of our revival of the “Building a Better Table” series.

Following dinner, we will have a plenary address from Dr. Gisela Heffes (Department of Moden and Classical Literatures and Cultures, Rice University), who will illuminate our guests to “Sustainability: Waste and Its Social, Cultural, and Aesthetic Re-significations”.

At its core, this event aspires to be more than just a celebration; it is a project to strengthen community bonds and enhance appreciation for the rich food culture that defines our city. In addition, we hope to acknowledge the challenges of food insecurity in Stillwater and its surrounding communities and point to ways in which these barriers can be overcome with healthy, nutritious, and affordable food for all – in partnership with Our Daily Bread, Pete’s Pantry, the Center for Sovereign Nations, and the OSU Student Farm.

There are several target audiences for this event. The three Project Investigators from the Environmental Science Graduate Program, the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Language and Literatures will collaborate with their respective departments. Additionally, the Family Resource Center, the Center for Humanities newsletter, Pete’s Panty, the OSU Student Farm, Center for Sovereign Nations, OSU’s International Student Services, and Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center will help promote. The Stillwater Community Center’s kitchen allows for up to 90 participants, and our goal is to fill that space.