Lectures on Tap-Cultural Identity:A Philosophical Exploration Through Food

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: July 8th, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Williamsburg Brooklyn (exact address provided in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: “Cultural Identity: A Philosophical Exploration Through Food”

🎤 Speaker: Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan

How do we understand ourselves through cultural identity? This thought-provoking lecture with Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan invites you to explore significant philosophical questions surrounding cultural identity and its relationship with food.

Is cultural identity inherited or claimed? Can one identify with more than one culture? Is it wrong for someone to claim a cultural identity they are not entitled to? Professor Jagannathan argues that examining our food—particularly preparation and eating practices—can provide insights into these questions.

Together, we will explore topics such as the importance of preparing food “authentically,” the phenomenon of fusion restaurants, and the dynamics of “international” grocery aisles. We'll also consider whether food cultures naturally evolve over time and the value in having diverse tastes.

Dr Dhananjay Jagannathan is a professor of philosophy who specializes in Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, ethics, and social and political philosophy. He is also a widely published essayist and he is currently working on a book on cultural identity and cultural appropriation for a general audience, which is under contract with Penguin Press.

Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into the intersection of food and identity!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.