European Sociological Association conference in Warsaw, Poland

Food ChariTIES team at ESA conference 2026!

Last week, the three PhD researchers in our project, Simona Amaro, Shiori Hagiwara and Marga ter Maat attended the 17th Conference of the European Sociological Association in Warsaw, Poland.

Each presented their first paper (currently at various stages of writing) across three distinct sessions:

Simona Amaro: “The Big Fish Gets the Catch: Boundary Work and Field Reproduction in Sicily’s Charitable Food Provision Field” in RN09 Economic Sociology (Session: Local Production, Authenticity, and Material Economies).

Shiori Hagiwara: “From Mottainai to Thank You? Waste, Welfare, and the Framing of Food Banks in Japan” in RN26 Sociology of Social Policy and Social Welfare (Session: Welfare Experiences).

Marga ter Maat: “To the food bank and beyond: A review of ethnographic research on food insecurity and food support in upper-middle-income and high-income countries” in RN20 Qualitative Methods (Session: Dilemmas of qualitative research).

For all three of them, it was their very first time presenting their own individual research at an international academic conference. We are all deeply grateful for the valuable networking opportunities, insightful feedback, and engaging discussions, all set against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Warsaw.

As our summer of academic conferences comes to a close, we are excited to depart for our respective cities to begin a full year of ethnographic fieldwork! 💡✨