eNews :: UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies

Food, Culture and Identity
As part of the current debate on food, sustainability, and its cultural, environmental, and economic implications, IES has sponsored two recent events related to the ever growing popularity of food scholarship: a discussion with Gastronomica editor and scholar Darra Goldstein entitled “Food, Culture and Identity in a Global Society: A Conversation” in early April and the later conference “Food: History and Culture in the West.” Read more ...

A Difficult Marriage? Islam and Homosexuality in the West
In mid-March, Dutch former Member of Parliament Boris Dittrich spoke at the Institute of European Studies on the uneasy relationship of Islam and homosexuality in the Netherlands to a packed audience in the European Studies Conference Room in Moses Hall. Currently advocacy director for LGBT rights for Human Rights’ Watch in New York, he is considered the “architect” of the Netherlands’ same-sex marriage – the person who made it possible for the country to become the first in the world to recognize same-sex marriages. He spoke on the role of religion in accepting homosexuality and debate whether the growing Muslim community in Europe represents a potential threat to certain liberal norms and values. Read more ...

Caveat Collier: Sleuthing Messages in 17th Century British Painting
Center for British Studies’director Ethan Shagan welcomed British historian Dror Wahrman from Indiana University in early May at the Institute for European Studies. He spoke on an overlooked Dutch-British artist Edward Collier (active 1662-1708).known for his trompe l’oeil paintings typically featuring a host of printed materials. Read more ...

IES Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Berkeley Law Lecturer Carla Shapreau is an attorney and violin-maker breaking ground in the relatively new field of research regarding Nazi era musical losses. While the recovery of looted art has been in the news for the last decade, plundered and lost instruments, manuscripts, and other items of musical heritage have garnered less press. Read more ...

Donate Today!
In these difficult economic times, IES counts on donor support more than ever to help fund our scholarships and to sustain new, innovative initiatives which bring prominent European intellectuals to Berkeley for public lectures, seminars, and conferences. Gifts can be made in the form of cash, securities, real estate, or pledges. They can also be left to IES from one's estate through a will or trust. All gifts also count towards UC Berkeley's overall fundraising goals, keeping it competitive with the very best universities worldwide. Won't you consider a gift today? Read more ...

Featured Recipe

A simple, satisfying version of hot chocolate, first made popular in Spain when cacao beans began making their way across the ocean from the Aztec Civilization. Traditionally eaten/drunk for breakfast along with doughnut-like churros. Read more ...