Call for Papers
Call for Papers
We invite you to join us for the Sixteenth International Conference on Food Studies, the annual meeting of the Food Studies Research Network, taking place 10–12 October 2026 in Osaka, Japan and online, in partnership with our host institutions: the University of Osaka, Graduate School of Humanities, and the Japan Food Studies College. These institutions form a dynamic hub for culinary scholarship and cultural practice in a city historically known as the “Kitchen of the Nation.” Together, they offer a rich academic and community environment in which to explore the intersections of food, heritage, ecology, and society. The Network brings together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, growers, producers, activists, cultural workers, and community leaders to examine food systems across scales—from local traditions and regional ecologies to global supply chains and food cultures. We welcome proposals that investigate how food shapes, and is shaped by, culture, health, environment, and economy.
In 2026, our special focus “Living with Water: Food and Life” examines the deep connections between water systems, food ecologies, cultural heritage, and human wellbeing. Osaka—built around rivers, canals, and soft water—has long been shaped by water-based forms of exchange and culinary identity. Its waterways supported food distribution networks, regional trade, and the development of iconic culinary practices, including the broths foundational to Japanese cuisine. As contemporary food and water crises intensify, Osaka offers a compelling lens for understanding how local knowledge, hydrological infrastructures, and culinary traditions illuminate pathways toward more resilient and equitable food futures.
The special focus invites proposals that consider food sustainability, water security, public health and nutrition, cultural heritage, and the politics of food systems, especially in relation to urban ecologies and historic foodways. How can communities adapt food production and distribution to shifting water systems? What can be learned from longstanding practices that balance environmental stewardship with nourishment? And how might the entwined histories of food and water guide the reimagining of food futures in a rapidly changing world?
This year’s themes include: Food Production and Sustainability; Food, Nutrition, and Health; Food Politics, Polities, and Cultures.
Knowledge Experience and Format
The conference is organised as a hybrid knowledge experience, bringing in-person and online participants together in one integrated scholarly environment. All accepted proposals become Presentation Pages on CGScholar Event (KX), where presenters upload abstracts, media, and reflections and where delegates can engage in discussion before, during, and after the event.
In-person presentations, live online sessions, and asynchronous contributions are woven into a single shared program. Regardless of how delegates participate, everyone has access to the full schedule, session media, and a growing digital archive. Across all formats, the emphasis is on human-scale scholarly exchange—conversation, reflection, and collaborative inquiry—rather than one-way presentation.
Publication Pathways
Presenters are invited to develop their work for possible publication in Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, which explores new possibilities for sustainable food production, nutrition, and the cultural and environmental dynamics of food systems, or in the Food Studies Book Imprint, which publishes monographs and edited volumes advancing research across food-related fields. Both outlets offer options for traditional and Open Access publication.
Membership and Community
We welcome new and returning members to the Food Studies Research Network. By purchasing a Presenter Pass, you automatically become—or renew as—a Network Member for the year, with benefits that span both our online environment and our in-person programs. Membership places you inside our online Knowledge Experience, a shared space that connects the full cycle of our work—and your work: preparation, presentation, reflection, and publication. Scholar-led and inclusive by design, it functions as a living commons for reciprocity, rigor, and continuity. Online, you can access everything in one place—conference updates and media, calls for papers, programs, archives, and journal and book content—and use it to share your ideas and projects. All member posts undergo peer-facilitated review before being added, strengthening both collective knowledge and community.
Alongside this online member experience, membership also supports and is activated through our in-person conferences and events, where you can meet colleagues, participate in sessions, and build new collaborations with our host partners. Membership sustains the Research Network, ensuring continued access to programs, archives, journals, and books and keeping ideas in motion over time—where belonging is defined by contribution and care.
Join Us
We warmly invite you to submit a proposal and to join us—either in Osaka or online—for this year’s annual meeting of the Food Studies Research Network. Together, we will explore how food production, culture, environmental systems, and public health converge—and how living with water can guide us toward more sustainable and nourishing futures.
The 2026 convening is led by Hennie Fisher (English-language Chair), Blanca Rosa Aguilar Uscanga (Spanish-language Chair), Dr. Taro Mochizuki (Local Conference Chair), and an extended Local Conference Committee from the University of Osaka and Japan Food Studies College, including:
Dr. Taro Mochizuki — Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, University of Osaka
Toshiaki Shimizu — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Lecturer, Otani University
Naoto Konomi — Director, Japan Food Studies College; International Consultant in Food Systems
Sawako Murayama — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Lecturer, Graduate School of Business Strategy, Kwansei Gakuin University
Daisuke Nakajima — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Lecturer, Osaka Tourism University
Yu Mizui — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Food Activities; Founder, Cocowell Corporation
Takuya Arai — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Board Member, Japan Tourism Nation Platform General Incorporated Association
Hiroaki Ukita — Director, Japan Food Studies College; Food Activist; Owner Chef
Aiko Tanaka — Founder, Japan Food Studies College