March 30, 2023 | 9:00AM-10:00AM | REGISTER FOR ZOOM

Speakers:

Anisa Bhutia, PhD Student, Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia, Visiting Scholar, Center for East Asian Studies, USC

Charisma K. Lepcha, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University

Cheese made from yak and cow milk remains staple food throughout the Himalayas. On this panel, we will interrogate cheesy cosmovisions from the perspectives of Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim Himalayan communities to examine how cheese production and consumption provide us with visions of multidimensional nourishment that are situated within the complex postcolonial landscapes of the Sikkimese, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong Himalayas. Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia will delve into forms of Buddhist and Indigenous ritual relatedness between humans and cows that lead to the making of tasty cheese in rural western Sikkim. Charisma K. Lepcha will discuss colonial histories of cheese production, their connection to Christian missions, and their legacies. Anisa Bhutia will consider both village and urban cheese production through the lenses of class, gender, and modernity. In summary, this panel will some tasty food for thought for audiences interested in the Himalayas and their global connections!

Cheese Photo by Yangchenla Bhutia, Melli Cheese, WhatsApp 91-81457-47021 for orders