Universitat de València

The round table will be presided by José Antonio Díaz Rojoredonda, director and researcher of the Lopez Piñero

Institute for the History of Medicine and Science, and will count on the participation of Jesús Contreras, Social Anthropology professor of the Universitat de Barcelona and Paloma Herrera, UPV's Sociology professor.

The round table will tackle the cultural and social aspects of obesity. The Cultural causes of this phenomenon characteristic of contemporary society will be analysed, originated at the beginning of the 20th century, when the first steps of the transition that bring us from hunger and malnutrition to overfeeding and obesity. Among the cultural factors some can be highlighted, like early schooling, the end of culinary education, the current working hours, the tolerance for individual prefrences and the contradictory dietary messages. Likewise, the cultural significance and image of obesity will be analysed.

Before the beginning of the round table, at 18:30, the dance piece 'El Corp' (the body), directed by Eva López UV's from the Theatre Hall which will count on the performance of dancers Mar Mandli Varela, Gema Bernad, Anais Duperrein and Alejandra Mandli. All the potential body movements are considered, subtle, robust, elastic, beautiful, deformed, asmietrical, warm, unprejudiced and accepting, with its imperious need to feed itself in order to survive and to enjoy.