Biography
Brad Bolman is Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies at Tulane University. His research and teaching explore the intersections of scientific and environmental knowledge. He is the author of Lab Dog: What Global Science Owes American Beagles (UChicago Press, 2025) and currently at work on Rotten Beauty: A Fungal History of the World.
Course Description
It is difficult to imagine the Gulf South without its food. The vibrant cuisines that emerged here over centuries, transformed by waves of new arrivals from around the world, shaped not just local life, but American culture. But food and cooking also changed the environment, adapting in turn to further changes to land, water, and air. In a new course for Tulane University undergraduates, we will explore the history of food and agriculture in the Gulf, with a keen eye to how environmental change and a destabilized climate are impacting many of our culinary touchstones. How have transformations to the landscape affected the productivity of rice and other staple crops? What will warmer temperatures mean for crawfish harvests? How are chefs and restauranteurs integrating sustainability into their food?
Funding from the Tulane Global Humanities Center will support collaborative, preparatory work with Tulane undergraduates to design a new, participatory curriculum to explore these topics and offer pathways for students to shape the future.
