Thank you for stopping by. I’m Laura, also a wanderer and wonderer. Aren’t we all?
I think connecting with other people through sharing food is one of the best parts of being alive. As an academic, I’m interested in meaning-making and community-building through what we grow, cook and eat. I bring an anthropological perspective to food systems issues and echo the voices and experiential insights of practitioners.
My work explores the connections between breeders, farmers, bakers, distillers and eaters, with a special focus on rye as an alternative grain. Why does rye so often remain at the margins, even though it is good for the environment and for the people? What makes people resist change?
Through participant observation, interviews, archival research, writing, public talks and hands-on workshops, I bring people together to share stories and create knowledge through doing. I focus on contextualization: tracing power relations, challenging the status quo and imagining change.
Want to work with me?
Laura Valli, PhD 