Food and Body in Colonial Contexts: An Introduction

Since the start of modern colonialism at the end of the fifteenth century, concerns about food accompanied conquistadors in any “discovered” part of the world. While being fundamental for the colonizer’s physical well-being and survival, food was an integral part of their cultural identity and political authority in the territories that, so went a typical claim, were inhabited by savage and uncivilized Indigenous peoples. Yet, these peoples, be that the Inuit of Alaska, the Haudenosaunee of North America or Native inhabitants of Indian Tranquebar, had their own food cultures and modes of subsistence that suited their living environments. The present issue explores colonial food encounters in different parts of the world, from North America and India to Zambia and Siberia, during the early modern period. The present article offers an overview of the rich scholarly literature on food and colonialism and situates the contributions within this growing research area.