The phenomenon of food and drink excess has always been of concern to human societies. In pre-modern Europe, the emphasis lay on controlling behaviour. Concerted attempts to secure subsistence, prevent famines, avoid God's wrath and halt moral decline have been conceptualized as social disciplining (Gerhard Oestreich) and a civilizing process (Norbert Elias), both perceived as key agents on the road to modernization.

From the later twentieth century, in the wake of industrialized production and rising prosperity throughout the West, the focus shifted to the management of oversupply: what to do with butter mountains, supermarket waste, obesity, bulimia and binge-drinking (perceived as all the more scandalous given persistent scarcity elsewhere)?

On the other hand, of course, some cultural strands have thrived on indulgence, be it carnivals, drinking rituals or rites of passage, while adherents of the Bacchanalian tradition - ranging from Antique Greek symposia to the Beat Generation of the 1960s - celebrated excess for intellectual and artistic inspiration.

This week-long course aims to re-assess the manifold connections between food, drink and excess in long-term comparative perspective.

The annual Summer University, which has been co-organized by the Université François-Rabelais de Tours and the European Institute for the History and Culture of Food (IEHCA) since 2003, is open to all graduates with active research projects in food/drink studies. The week's programme features workshops by leading specialists from different disciplines (including history, anthropology, linguistics and the gastronomic sciences), research presentations by the participants, excursions and opportunities for individual study. Mastery of English and good knowledge of French are essential.

The deadline for submission of applications is 15 May 2015. The registration fee of €400 covers all lectures and seminars, visits and related cultural activities, accommodation in single rooms and full board during the Summer University. Travel expenses to Tours have to be met by the participants themselves.

For the full programme and registration form visit: http://summerschool.iehca.univ-tours.fr/accueil-406678.kjsp. Further information on academic aspects is available from co-director Beat Kümin (Warwick/U.K.): b.kumin@warwick.ac.uk; for all organizational/administrative queries please contact Olivier Rollin at the IEHCA: olivier.rollin@iehca.eu.