Gastrodiplomacy in Focus: Tracing the Connections Between Soft Power and Food Heritage

Can cuisine shape global narratives and serve as a form of soft power? This compelling question was at the heart of a thought-provoking roundtable seminar titled “Soft Power and Food Heritage: Tracing the Connections”, hosted by the Centre for Asian Modernisation (CAM) on 30 May 2025 at Taylor’s University. CAM, one of five University Research Centres under the portfolio of Research and Enterprise, leads impactful, interdisciplinary research focused on Asia’s rapid societal transformation, commonly referred to as compressed modernisation. Organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, home to Taylor’s Food Studies and International Relations programmes, the seminar examined the evolving role of food in cultural identity, diplomacy, and heritage politics across East and Southeast Asia.

The roundtable brought together a distinguished panel of scholars, each contributing unique regional and disciplinary perspectives. Among them were Distinguished Prof. Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Founding Director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM); Dr. Haruka Ueda, Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo; Dr. Andrea Passeri, Programme Director of International Relations and Cluster Leader for Politics & International Relations at CAM; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elise Mognard, Programme Director of Food Studies and Cluster Leader for Food, Cultures & Health at CAM. The session was expertly moderated by Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Poulain, Director of CAM and Chair of Food, Cultures and Health at Taylor’s University.

The panel offered critical insights into the complex intersections of food, culture, and influence across Asia. Setting the stage, Prof. Shamsul contextualised the concept of compressed modernity within the region’s diverse religious traditions, colonial legacies, and food systems, emphasising how modernisation unfolds differently across societies. Building on this, Dr. Haruka examined Washoku, Japan’s UNESCO-recognised culinary heritage, and cautioned against the tendency to present elite cuisine as a symbol of national identity, often at the expense of everyday food practices. Expanding the discussion, Dr. Andrea explored how food, much like cinema or literature, operates as both a marker of cultural identity and a vehicle of soft power, shaping international perceptions of nationhood. Adding a Southeast Asian perspective, Dr. Elise reflected on the region’s rich culinary diversity, framing it as a living narrative of transformation, adaptation, and cultural diplomacy.

The roundtable reaffirmed CAM’s commitment to producing research that bridges academic inquiry with contemporary societal issues. It underscored the role of food not only in health and culture but also in shaping international relations, making Food Studies and International Relations more relevant than ever in understanding Asia’s evolving global presence.