The Taste of WWII in Italy: A Lecture and Project Presentation

Nazi-Fascism, WWII, and the Allied Landing have been the subject of a large body of creative and research literature over the decades, yet a reading of this historical chapter through the lens of food offers a fresh perspective. Lizzie Collingham, author of The Taste of War, will address the themes of food provision and control as military strategies with a powerful impact on both troops and civilians, in the course of a virtual lecture – The Taste of WWII in Italy – on Sun. March 7 at 2pm EST.

The lecture will be followed by the presentation of an in-progress research project about food practices in Sicily at the time of the Allied Landing (Food, Hunger, Migration and the American Myth), supported by MSU donors (the Cali and the Inserra families) and involving Italian majors. Despite the fact that it preceded D-Day, the 1943 landing in Sicily is often overlooked, and this project is aimed at bringing attention to this historical moment for its interconnection with past migrations and with the transnational circulation of food. See excerpts from video-interviews with direct witnesses of the landing in Sicily.

The result of a collaboration with several departments on campus and an Italian association, this online event – free and open to the public – will be in English with simultaneous interpretation into Italian. For more details and the registration link, see the flyer below or the webpage.