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The Roti Collective

@theroticollective

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A series of collaborative public & academic engagements about roti and roti-making 🫓
Curated by @dr.mariamdurrani

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Since January 2026, our roti and injera research teams have visited establishments across the DMV and interviewed restaurant owners, food workers, and home cooks to learn about roti and injera migration histories and diaspora communities. We are excited to share updates from our May community discussion and exhibition as part of AU Research Day! Thank you to our project partners @veraskitchendesta @eatopiaeatery @balemoya @therealmicahganesh @creativegroundsdc and huge thanks to @bethwlde for our amazing visuals! DM us if you have any questions and/or you’d like us to visit your school or organization and share our work! #roti #injera #dcfood #foodstudies #freedc taken in Washington D. C. by @theroticollective

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4 months ago

We are excited to introduce the “roti and injera collective of DC” - a research team from American University conducting a community-engaged project exploring how food practices among Roti and Injera diaspora communities in the DC metro area function as sites of diaspora memory, cultural continuity, and resistance to gentrification. We know food is about more than sustenance — it’s memory, identity, and community-building in action.

Swipe through to learn more about why roti and injera are so special, read about our research questions and collaborative methods of inquiry, and meet our research group including eight wonderful research fellows on Team Roti and Team Injera.

We look forward to sharing more soon! Shout out to the AU @humanitiestruck lab! 🌸 by @theroticollective

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5 months ago

At my cousin’s wedding in Toronto—the rhythm of two blades against a hot griddle, kotthu roti chopped to order.

For anyone unfamiliar: kotthu roti is chopped roti stir-fried with vegetables, egg, curry, and spices—the rhythmic clang of the blades is as much a signature of the dish as the taste itself, a piece of street food craft that’s traveled with the diaspora from Sri Lanka to cities like Toronto.

It’s the kind of unscripted moment I keep coming back to in our work with @humanitiestruck on food and sound as living archive, playing out at a family celebration rather than in a research setting. by @theroticollective

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21 days ago

This Saturday (8/15) 🌟 Food, Memory, and Migration: The Stories We Tell Through Roti • Session 3 of our Summer Pocket Talk series

What stories can a simple flatbread tell? Join The Roti Collective (@theroticollective )led by @dr.mariamdurrani, as they share research on the connections between South Asian, Caribbean, and East African food traditions in DC. Through stories of migration, memory, and resilience, they’ll explore how roti connects communities across generations and borders and invite you to be part of their growing community research project.

🗓️ Saturday, August 15
⏰ Doors open at 1:30pm, talks run from 2:00pm-3:30pm
📍 Georgetown Neighborhood Library, main floor reading room
➡️ RSVP & see full event description using the link in our bio

The @publicethnographylab Summer Pocket Talks are a series of interactive, open-to-all seminars on critical topics, held in partnership with @dcpubliclibrary. Each session has its own theme, and attendees will hear from thinkers from the social sciences and humanities, be able to ask questions and discuss with speakers and other attendees, and connect with other interested in pressing topics. Complimentary tea and light refreshments are provided! Save the date for upcoming talks on August 27 and 29.

#WashingtonDC #DC #PublicEvent #Lecture #Migration taken in DC Public Library, Georgetown by @theroticollective

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2 months ago

On May 31st, 2026, the Roti and Injera Collective research team gathered at Professor Mariam Durrani’s home to learn how to make Pakistani roti. We were joined by food writer and cookbook author @maryamxjillani to discuss the significance of roti in Pakistan and its diaspora. We invite you to view this beautiful visual record of the day created by Roti and Injera Collective researcher @bethwlde, a 2nd year graduate student in the @phrcrsis @au_sis. And we’d love to hear how you make roti at home! Please share in the comments. #roti #foodstudies #sharingroti #roticollective #freedc taken in Washington D. C. by @theroticollective

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2 months ago

Last month the Roti & Injera Collective had the pleasure of visiting @veraskitchendesta for an afternoon of learning and delicious food ❤️

We learned about the tradition of injera making and heard Vera’s inspiring journey as a business owner. Some of our biggest takeaways were the role injera plays in building community and how the process of making injera evolves as it travels across oceans! We even got the chance to make our own injera :)

A special thank you to Vera for welcoming and guiding us through this experience. Be sure to visit her restaurant and support this amazing local business in Manasas, Virginia! by @theroticollective

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5 months ago

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming event at the Public Anthropology Conference on November 8th, hosted by @auanthro @publicethnographylab. If you’re in the DMV, please join us on Saturday from 300 to 415p at the MLK Memorial Library for an interactive conversation with Dr. Mariam Durrani and the growing Roti Collective Team about food, migration, diaspora, and more! taken in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library by @theroticollective

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a year ago

In February 2025, Dr. Mariam Durrani and Ms. Nilosree Biswas published their article, “Tracing Roti’s Pasts, Presents, and Futures” for Sapiens magazine. The article analyzes roti’s global histories, its contemporary forms, and its evolving future across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and their diasporas everywhere. Based on the diversity of roti experiences worldwide, the Roti Collective reflects, celebrates, and examines roti’s global legacies towards a people-centered, feminist gastro-diplomacy for the 21st century.

Read more at https://tinyurl.com/sapiens-roti-collective

Post/author: MD and MR
Design: MD and MR by @theroticollective

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a year ago

Introducing the Roti Collective’s newest campaign! ✨✨✨Tag us in whatever roti makes you think of — from family to community, we want to see it all! Share your photos or videos or memes with the #sharingroti for a feature on our page 🫓🫓 by @theroticollective

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2 years ago

Check out a quick recap of our June community event in DC on roti stories and travels! Thank you to our generous hosts @bol_coop @creativegroundsdc ! Thank you to all the roti enthusiasts from across the DMV for joining us for a deeply felt conversation followed by a delicious roti dinner catered by @trinivybezfood and sponsored by @culp.georgetown
Keep an eye out for future RC events 😘 taken in Washington D. C. by @theroticollective

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2 years ago

The Roti Collective (RC) invites you to our first DC community party to celebrate the global food cultures of Roti on Wednesday, June 19th, at the Bol Coop located in the beautiful Creative Grounds Cafe.

Join us to learn more about Roti together through its recipes and complex histories - including a Pakistani Roti-making demo by RC founder and AU Professor Mariam Durrani , a delicious meal of Trinidadian Roti from Trini Vybez, and a facilitated discussion about experiences and personal connections to Roti led by RC research assistant Megha Rastogi.

We are asking for donations to cover basic event costs after which any remaining funds will be donated to support the work of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Thank you to our generous sponsors at the Bol Coop, Creative Grounds, and Georgetown University’s Culture and Politics Program.

Note: Although tickets are limited, if you are still interested in the event, please get in touch with Mariam Durrani at mdurrani@gmail.com. Thank you!
#roti #roticollective #DC #washingtondcevents taken in Creative Grounds DC by @theroticollective

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2 years ago

We are so excited to finally share this project with all of you — you can access the podcast through the link in our bio! by @theroticollective

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2 years ago