Food, Festival and Religion

Provides rich ethnographic detail on some of Italy’s fascinating community festivals and gatherings. Howell’s scale of engagement may provide other researchers with a tool on which to build a comparative body of information on such events, not only in other regions of Italy but in other parts of the world. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for courses in ritual and religion as well as to the more general reader. * Nova Religio *
I believe this work has the potential to be something major. In my opinion and from my experience in the overall field, this book constitutes a real treasure and is something not to be missed. It is infused with the same gentle warmth and informative freshness that is Francesca Howell herself. * Michael York, Professor Emeritus of Cultural Astronomy, Bath Spa University, UK *
The book draws on fascinating field data and engages with ideas that are pertinent and current. It provides unique insights into the North Italian context with regard to the themes it addresses. * Kathryn Rountree, Professor of Anthropology and Associate Head of School, Massey University, New Zealand *
Festivals and foods not only take place but make places. They not only arise from religions and cultures but shape and flavour them. Attention to the materiality of places, foods and festivity — and to interacting bodies — greatly improves our understanding of religion as it is lived in ritual and everyday contexts. Food, Festival and Religion offers a feast to be savoured as the study of material religion gains ground. * Graham Harvey, Professor of Religious Studies, The Open University, UK *
This innovative ethnography examines the links between local festivals, religious materiality, and the ways communities construct a sense of place in northern Italy. By examining both mainstream political festival organization and that of alternative new religions such as Druidry, it paints a vivid picture of how groups link heritage and identity using discourse, symbols, and enactments. Critical to anyone wishing to understand the complex relationships between globalization, localization, and the emergence of blood-and-soil nationalisms in Europe. * Sabina Magliocco, Professor of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Canada *
Food, Festival and Religion is a well-researched, captivating, beautifully written, and ethnographically sound book. It is the result of a decade of research and it convincingly makes a case for addressing festivals and food festivals as evidences of the ‘relational epistemology’ connecting human and other-than-human actors. Accessible to multiple readers without losing in complexity and sophistication, it could be of interest to students and scholars of religion, festival studies, environmental studies, social sciences and Italian studies. * Giovanna Parmigini, Post-doctoral Fellow at the Program in Science, Religion and Culture at Harvard Divinity School *