Maternal Gift Economy: Breaking Through -
Ongoing Salons
Every two weeks
Upcoming Salons
Salon #85 - The Gift of Food
with Bhanu Natarajan and Indigo Pinedo
October 4, 2025
Indigo Pinedo is a 24-year-old, Cuban-American, nonbinary student at the American University of Rome, pursuing an MA in Food Studies: Sustainable Production and Consumption Policy. Their background is highly diverse, with experience from their bachelor's degree in creative writing and entrepreneurship, a diploma in professional pastry arts, various sustainability communications roles, and managing farmers' markets. You can learn more about their projects and work here.
They are based in Rome and are currently working on their thesis, which proposes a novel Indigenous Matriarchal Approach to the UN Committee on World Food Security. Their research journey has led them to explore modern matriarchal theory, the maternal gift economy, food sovereignty, decolonization, Indigenous rights, and the ecofeminist and deep ecological movements. The overlap and interdependence of these topics inspire them to discover and envision a plural epistemological understanding of food security and nutrition for all, with matriarchy at the center.
Bhanu Natarajan holds a Master’s degree in Biology with research experience in ethnobiology from the University of Oslo. She has published academic papers, popular science articles, and newspaper columns. Over the past 13 years, she has been actively involved in biodiversity issues, including founding a local environmental group.
Through this group, she has raised awareness among schoolchildren and the local community about the importance of biodiversity. In addition, she is passionate about teaching and conducting courses on vegetarian cooking, with a focus on environmental sustainability and health. She has also contributed articles on vegetarian food to the local newspaper, promoting sustainable dietary habits.
She has been active with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom -IKFF- Norway and working with issues related to the environment.
Bhanu Natarajan resides in Norway and is employed in the public sector. Her work involves promoting educational and job opportunities for immigrants.
Salon #86 - Men in Matriarchy
with Dr. Heide Goettner-Abendroth and Patricia Mukhim
October 18, 2025
Heide Goettner-Abendroth is a philosopher and researcher on culture and society, focused on matriarchal studies.
She is a mother and a grandmother. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy of science at the University of Munich where she lectured for ten years (1973-1983).
She has published on philosophy of science, and extensively on matriarchal society and culture, and through her lifelong research on matriarchal societies has become a founder of Modern Matriarchal Studies. Her magnum opus: Matriarchal Societies. Studies on Indigenous Cultures across the Globe, (New York 2013, Peter Lang) defines scientifically this new field of knowledge and provides a world tour of examples of contemporary matriarchal cultures.
In 1986, she founded the “International ACADEMY HAGIA for Matriarchal Studies” in Germany, and since then has been its director.
She guided three World Congresses on Matriarchal Studies: 2003 in Luxembourg, 2005 in Texas, U.S., and 2011 in Switzerland.
In 2012, she received an award for her scholarship from “The Association for the Study of Women & Mythology” in San Francisco. She was twice a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2005 by a Swiss initiative, 2007 by a finish initiative. More information @ International Academy HAGIA for Modern Matriarchal Studies and www.goettner-abendroth.de.
Patricia Mukhim edits The Shillong Times - an English language daily from the Indian State of Meghalaya in the remote North Eastern Region of India. She has served as a member of the National Security Advisory Board and has contributed her learnings to an agency that looks at military security while often forgetting human security, water and food security. She has also brought in gender perspectives to the Board. Patricia has been a gender activist and also helped the world understand the matrilineal society she comes from in her book, "Waiting For an Equal World." More information @ here.