Prestige or Consolation?: Decoding the Language of the Diplomatic Meal

Description

Research into the role of the meal in international relations as a means of signalling the status of diplomatic relationships has grown significantly in recent years. A key theme emerging from this scholarship is the nuanced use of soft power through the diplomatic meal where the level of prestige in which a guest nation is held is subtly communicated through different culinary and ceremonial choices. Conversely, this same mechanism may be used to indicate a lack of esteem, where a dining occasion is one of obligation rather than friendship, or duty rather than regard. Building on existing research which has examined the semiotics of the meal, the rituals around dinner and the analysis of guest networks, this paper seeks to develop an approach to decoding the language of the diplomatic meal. By examining variables such as the type of meal served, the choice of venue, the number of courses served, and with particular attention to specific menu items and their preparation, this work aims to establish a framework that might be applied to the meal more broadly to complement the research and emerging methodologies in the field of food studies.

Period	22 May 2025
Event title	Conference of the Association of Franco-Irish Studies: Consolation(s)
Event type	Conference
Location	Caen, FranceShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International