In remembrance of our colleague Evan Weissman

Scholar, community leader, mentor, and friend

Abstract

First paragraphs:

In the spring of 2020, we tragically lost our dear friend and colleague Evan Weissman, a food studies scholar and urban geographer, social justice advocate and activist, and renowned mentor and teacher. Evan was the first faculty member hired to start our intimate Food Studies Program, and an essential part of each of our individual careers and professional lives at Syracuse. It is difficult to impart the impact he had on our program, the discipline of food studies, and on us, as his coworkers and collaborators.

Evan’s academic contributions, which focused on local food policy, community food systems, food system inequality, and urban agriculture, are beautifully reflected in this special issue. As can be seen here, the work he was engaged in has deep roots, which extend across topics and disciplines and con­tinue to grow in his absence. His impact on the fields of food justice and sustainable agricultural and regional planning will endure, due to the ways he connected radical social theory and community-based practice. . . .