Ep. 87 - Democratizing Philosophy through Identity, Environment, & Ethical Food Pathways ft. Shanti Chu

30-12-2022 • 1 hr 14 mins

BrownTown listens, learns, and discusses how to make philosophy more accessible, environmental justice through animal rights, and ethical food pathways with Shanti Chu, philosopher, writer, speaker, and creator of ChiVeg, a dynamic food blog that focuses on ethical eating with vegetarian recipes. The team explores the topics' connections to each other through personal experiences and critical pedagogy while unpacking their relation to capitalism and white supremacy.

Full Transcription Here!

GUEST: Shanti Chu is a published philosopher, writer and speaker on the topics of public philosophy, food, multiracial identity, and intersectionality. She is a philosophy professor in the Chicagoland area and makes philosophy palatable for everyday life through using innovative teaching methods. In addition to her scholarship and teaching, she is the creator of ChiVeg, a dynamic food blog that focuses on ethical eating with vegetarian recipes. Shanti also does freelance writing for TimeOut Chicago and Art News. When not actively philosophizing or thinking about food, she mixes lofi house, ambient, and moody techno under the DJ duo name Evanti. Follow her on her philosophy website and YouTube channel; follow ChiVeg on the site, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

Mentioned in episode and other resources:

"Democratizing philosophy" was coined by Daniel Lazar, educator, podcaster, and musician. Listen to his "For a Living" podcast!
Grading for Equity
John Bolton says he ‘helped plan coups d’etat’ in other countries by Martin Pengelly (The Guardian)
"Food desert" vs. "food apartheid"
White co-optation of veganism and Black/indigenous traditions (1, 2)
Ep. 78 - Black Farming & Finding Your Food Story ft. Pearl Quick
Ep. 37 - Public Health 2.0 ft. Le Greta Hudson
Factory Farming Awareness Coalition
Philosophers for Sustainability
Plant Chicago: Closed Loop, Open Source - Sustainable food production
Sistah Vegan

CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Pearl Quick on Ep. 78 - Black Farming & Finding Your Food Story and outro music The Guns of Brixton by The Clash. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Melody Joy Co.