The Foodscapes Collective

The Sixteenth International Conference on Food Studies brings together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and artists exploring the past, present, and future of food systems around the world.

Hosted in Osaka, Japan, this year’s gathering centers on a timely and urgent theme:

2026 Special Focus

Living with Water: Food and Life

As climate instability, sea-level rise, flooding, and water scarcity reshape global food systems, this theme invites conversations on how communities adapt, innovate, and reimagine relationships between food and water.

Where

The conference will take place at the Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Science (CELAS) at the University of Osaka, Japan, with an additional online participation option.

Host Institutions

• University of Osaka – Graduate School of Humanities
• Japan Food Studies College

Osaka—one of Japan’s great culinary cities—provides a dynamic setting for conversations at the intersection of tradition, innovation, and sustainability.

When

10–12 October 2026

Call for Proposals

Proposals are accepted from launch until one month before the conference start date. All submissions are reviewed within two to four weeks.

Apply here.

Proposal Periods

• Early: Launch – 9 March 2026
• Regular: 10 March – 9 July 2026
• Late: 10 July – 10 September 2026

Registration Periods

• Early: Launch – 9 April 2026
• Regular: 10 April – 9 September 2026
• Late: 10 September – 10 October 2026

Conference Themes

In addition to the 2026 special focus, the conference welcomes research and creative work across three core themes:

Theme 1: Food Production and Sustainability

Agroecology, fisheries, climate adaptation, water governance, land use, biodiversity, and regenerative food systems.

Theme 2: Food, Nutrition, and Health

Public health, food access, diet transitions, food environments, and community wellbeing.

Theme 3: Food Politics, Polities, and Cultures

Food sovereignty, governance, migration, identity, culinary heritage, and the cultural dimensions of food.

Plenary Speakers

The conference will feature leading thinkers and innovators in food studies:

• Ken Albala – Tully Knoles Endowed Professor of History, University of the Pacific (USA)
• Takakazu Yumoto – President, Japan Food Studies College (Japan)
• Aiko Tanaka – Food Studies Researcher and Representative Director, Japan Food Studies College (Japan)
• Yoshiyuki Tatsumi – Director, Geolib Research Institute; Professor Emeritus, Kobe University (Japan)

Additional local and international speakers will also contribute to the program.

Conference Leadership

Conference Chair

• Aiko Tanaka – Japan Food Studies College

Conference Committee

• Taro Mochizuki – Graduate School of Humanities, University of Osaka
• Toshiaki Shimizu – Japan Food Studies College; Otani University (Japan)
• Naoto Konomi – Japan Food Studies College
• Sawako Murayama – Japan Food Studies College; Graduate School of Business Strategy, Kwansei Gakuin University (Japan)
• Daisuke Nakajima – Japan Food Studies College; Osaka Tourism University (Japan)
• Yu Mizui – Japan Food Studies College
• Takuya Arai – Japan Food Studies College
• Hiroaki Ukita – Japan Food Studies College

Food Studies Research Network

• Hennie Fisher – Research Network Chair, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Blanca Rosa Aguilar Uscanga – Research Network Chair (ES), University of Guadalajara, Mexico
• Phillip Kalantzis-Cope – Chief Social Scientist, Common Ground Research Networks, United States of America

Why This Conference Matters

Food systems are deeply entangled with water—ecologically, culturally, and politically. From rice paddies and fisheries to urban flooding and drought-stricken farmlands, “Living with Water” asks:

• How do food systems adapt to shifting water realities?
• What knowledge systems help communities live with abundance and scarcity?
• How do politics, infrastructure, and culture shape water–food relationships?

This conference offers a space for dialogue across disciplines, sectors, and geographies—bringing together academic research, community knowledge, and practical innovation.

About the Food Studies Research Network

The Food Studies Research Network brings together researchers, practitioners, producers, and policymakers to explore how food systems shape—and are shaped by—ecology, health, economy, and culture. Member-based and scholar-led, the Network serves as a global platform for examining food as both sustenance and meaning in a rapidly changing world.

The Food Studies Research Network is part of Common Ground Research Networks, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building inclusive, collaborative, and ethically grounded communities of knowledge.