Hummustopia: Food-based research on everyday practices of dialogue and democracy

"Hummustopia" is a concept and format for bringing very different people together at a table and discuss topics that are highly controversial in society. Hummus, the "signature dish" of the Levante (or Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea), crosses borders, cultures and religions. It is therefore an ideal excuse for taking a moment of reflection and departure point for finding commonalities even in the most diverse or odd-seeming combinations of people. At the same time, Hummustopia serves as a heuristic device for doing research into concepts of Self and Others, identity politics and the conditions for peaceful conviviality and community-building.