International Conference
FOOD IN THE ANTHROPOCENE:
ECOTHEOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES
May 23–24, 2025
“Thessalia” Conference Center
Melissatika, Volos, Greece
An international Conference on the topic “Food in the Anthropocene: Ecotheological and Scientific Perspectives” will be held in the “Thessalia” Conference Center, Melissatika, Volos, Greece, on May 23 and 24, 2025, organized by the Volos Academy for Theological Studies.
The Conference focuses on the general theme “Food in the Anthropocene: Ecotheological and Scientific Perspectives”, a topic that has not been discussed yet in any Orthodox context, while it is variously related to the current climate crisis (e.g. agriculture, production models, carbon emissions, lifestyle, poverty, etc.). The Conference invites participants to consider food cultures, food security, and agricultural systems as gateways to examining the dialectical relationship between ecosystems, cultural beliefs and practices, and religious cosmologies and rituals in sustaining meaningful and equitable ways of living in the Anthropocene. The focus on food allows for the examination of collective human beliefs and practices related to land and natural resource use and patterns of production and consumption in a time of rapid ecosystem collapse, evidenced by ever-increasing wildfires, heat waves, droughts, floods, economic instability, and wars dislocating people from life-sustaining resources and settlements.
The list of speakers (so far) is as follows: Prof. Frances Kostarelos (Governors State University, IL, USA), Dr. Ekavi Issari (Hellenic Open University, Greece), Rev. Dr. Peter Pavlovic (Conference of European Churches, Belgium), Prof. Norman Wirzba (Duke University, USA), Prof. Ekaterini Tsalampouni (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece), Bishop Antony (Vrame) of Synada (Holy Cross-Hellenic College, USA), Dr. Christine Nellist (Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals, UK), Prof. Chris Durante (St Peter’s University, USA), Prof. Gijsbert van den Brink (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands), Theodoros Sdroulias (Architect, Journalist, Volos), Dr. Antonis Kalogerakis (Orthodox Academy of Crete).
The event is open to the public. There will be translation from and to English and Greek languages.
You can read the program of the conference here.
