Conviviality and food systems: towards a policy of mutual raising

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29147/revhosp.v23.1284

Keywords:

conviviality, foodscape, sustainability, political ecology

Abstract

Facing the climate crisis and the dysfunction of current food systems, the traditional concept of sustainability appears exhausted. This essay proposes reactivating this concept through conviviality, understood not merely as commensality, but as a political ethic of "mutual raising" and symbiosis between humans and non-humans. The objective is to configure the notion of convivial food landscapes as a tool for ecological and cultural transformation. The methodology combines a theoretical review—grounded in Ivan Illich and the ontological turn—with the analysis of cases in three areas: urban inclusion tools (mobile kitchens and agricultural technology), biocultural heritage (indigenous initiatives and multispecies gastronomy), and environmental art. The results demonstrate that conviviality allows for overcoming a technocratic vision by integrating affective and material dimensions that recognize the interdependence of life. It is concluded that convivial food landscapes function as intersectoral platforms capable of generating new forms of knowledge and cooperation, reorienting food policy towards social justice and ecosystem regeneration.

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Author Biography

Raúl Matta, Lyfe Institute Research and Innovation Center / UMR 208 PALOC, IRD-MNHN, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Raúl Matta, Ph.D., is a full researcher at the Lyfe Institute Research and Innovation Center, in France. He works at the intersection of anthropology, food and heritage studies. From that vantage point, he has investigated the ways in which food is invested with a multitude of goals and meanings by different actors and stakeholders. He has conducted fieldwork in Peru, Mexico, Germany, and France, and occupied leading roles in projects funded by the German Research Foundation (Food as Cultural Heritage), the French National Research Agency (FOODHERIT), and the European Commission (FOOD2GATHER; CONVIVIUM).

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Published

2026-03-09

How to Cite

Matta, R. (2026). Conviviality and food systems: towards a policy of mutual raising. Revista Hospitalidade, 23(2026), 1284. https://doi.org/10.29147/revhosp.v23.1284

Issue

Revista Hospitalidade v. 23 - 2026

Section

Ponto de vista

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Copyright (c) 2026 Raúl Matta

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