Extending the Table: Eucharist as a Model for Feminist Food Justice

Abstract

This article explores the link between the ritual of communion and the practice of feeding real bodies, real food. The relationship between food and theology is implicitly and explicitly central to Christian practice. Drawing on contemporary literature (including agricultural-economic, journalistic and culinary) and through the lenses of feminist theology, the article considers ways in which food justice can be served through church communities. The importance of embodiment and mutual empowerment is emphasised through an exploration of four particular church outreach projects two in Cape Town and two in Exeter, UK. The author explores the presence, praxis and power dynamics of the investigated church communities that contribute to alternative forms of addressing hunger within their contexts. There is a recognition of a shift from, traditional forms of charity as a gift, towards a practice of food justice as a right. And the kitchen is reclaimed as a sacred space in which to practice theological action.