James Staples: Anthropology, food, and identity politics in India

Professor James Staples will reflect on how he got into anthropology in the first place, and on how his long-standing interest in food and its connections to class and social mobility eventually led him to South India.

Once there, he pursued ongoing research projects on the social experience of leprosy, on suicide and self-harm, and on disability. His more recent research, however, has returned him full-circle to food and, in particular, the politics of eating – and not eating – meat in contemporary India.The lecture will explore why we need to rethink the popular idea of India as a vegetarian country, and how vegetarianism might itself become a source of violence.

James joined Brunel University London as a Lecturer in 2007 and was promoted to Professor in 2022. James hopes you will join him for a drinks reception after the event.

What is an Inaugural Lecture? An Inaugural Lecture marks a significant milestone in any academic career. Join us as we celebrate the extraordinary careers and research excellence of our academic colleagues, recently joined or promoted to Professor.

In these special open lectures, our professors welcome family, friends, colleagues and members of the public for a memorable evening unpacking their research expertise and offering insights from their career journey.

The Inaugural Lecture Series showcases a wide range of subjects and professorial expertise. These beacons of Brunel’s research community are leaders in their wider field, presenting their expertise, free and open to all.