Ted Fischer

“Creating cuisines is about building community through agriculture and bridging the local with the global,” said Ted Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology, during the opening session of “Food for Thought”—a free program presented by Vanderbilt University and the Frist Art Museum. This series brings together Vanderbilt faculty, Frist curators and local leaders to explore cultural and societal issues through art. The Spring 2025 season focused on two Frist exhibitions: Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism and Tennessee Harvest. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University study challenges traditional views on childhood, emphasizing the role of cultural, social and historical factors in shaping policies on children’s health and well-being. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the “Rethinking Childhoods” study by the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative proposes a more inclusive approach to health policy, incorporating global perspectives to redefine childhood beyond Western norms.  Read More

About two dozen Vanderbilt students and faculty from across the university have worked with a leading inter­national malnutrition research organization to produce Mani+, a nutritionally fortified peanut butter, to help combat childhood hunger in Guatemala. (MODESIGNS58/ISTOCK) Malnutrition is defined as a lack of food and calories. But really, it’s… Read More

In the latest VUCast: Learn how a Vanderbilt student is making coffee drinking more social; hear from undergrads about their amazing research opportunities; see who made the best of #vandygram. Watch now! Read More

Some scholars still believe that romantic love was invented by European troubadours in the Middle Ages, and that people outside of the western tradition don’t really experience it. Ted Fischer, professor of anthropology, decided to test that theory. The verdict? Everybody loves. Read More