MAYS Announcements, Events

15th MAYS Meeting CfP Now Open!

15th MAYS Annual Meeting 18th-20th June 2024, Bologna, Italy and Online (Hybrid)

Submit your abstract here!
Submission Deadline: April 8th 2024

Critical Anthropology and Global Health: Challenges and Possibilities

Global Health perspectives have provided a more holistic approach to health, leading to the emergence of several programs, mostly in medical departments, around the 2000’s that comprehensively address health issues. Within the framework of Global Health, researchers are actively involved in addressing emerging issues related to health, illness, and the human body, contributing to the creation of a more integrated and comprehensive foundation for health-related investigations and implementations. However, critical medical anthropology has highlighted a rising ethical problem within this framework. Global Health – as an area of interests, research and practices – shaped a division between a healthy Global North and sick Global South. While epidemiological inquiries initiated this stereotype, one can see that such a division has gone beyond the presence or absence of diseases,  it is gradually rooted within cultural, economic, environmental, infrastructural, political, social, and technological processes, also contributing in reinforcing the epistemic centralities of  academia in the Global North. 

This year’s MAYS Annual Meeting critically focuses on the relationship between Global Health  and medical anthropology. Since the division between Global North and Global South now clearly goes beyond clinical or public health programs, critical global health studies have broadened, and the boundaries of disciplines have loosened. Understanding the processes that produce health means looking not only at the relationships between social actors, but also at the relationships between those actors and the environment, infrastructures, flora, fauna, or bacteria; anything that can be called non-human. As the division evolves within the intersection of Human and Non-Human elements, medical anthropology’s critical approach may require a reevaluation of its inquiry framework, aiming for transformative engagement with our ‘field’. In particular, we want to dwell on the role of ethnographic sensibilities that bring forward non-humans and their often-overlooked influence on the way humans experience, perceive, and construct health, illness, and the body. We welcome critical insights that explore such topics beyond disciplinary barriers. We invite medical anthropologist, social epidemiologist public health experts or geographers, among others, who in their work come across questions such as:

  • What does it mean to study “health” today, when it is defined so differently by various stakeholders across the globe?  
  • What does anthropological research do or could do within Global Health projects? 
  • What is the future of Global Health? 
  • How and when are ethnographic approaches used in Global Health studies?
  • What kind of knowledge do they produce and how? How do the different disciplines find or do not find a space of dialogue with each other? 

We invite papers that fall into one of the following categories:

  • Discussions on interdisciplinarity in the social studies of health – thinking and discussing research topics and fieldwork experiences that lie at the intersections of disciplines and epistemologies,  facing conceptual frictions between different definitions of health, disease, illness, and bodies. 
  • Mixing methods in Global Health research – experiences and questions on how to approach research topics creatively, mixing ethnography with action-research or quantitative approaches, both inside and outside of academia. 
  • Rethinking Global Health as a concept – bring a critical perspective on the current state of Global Health studies and its boundaries, aiming to answer a question of how to best mix academic curiosity with practicality of applied research approaches, including reflecting on the historical roots of the framework and its heritage. What are the different ideas of the role a researcher should play socially? Can we further debate on Global Health’s validity as an established research paradigm?

Application Process

We invite you to submit an abstract of no more than 350-500 words at the link below by April 8th, and notification of acceptances will be sent by the end of April.

Submission HERE

Deadline for Abstract Submission (350-500 words): April 8th, 2024
Notification of Acceptance: April 29th, 2043
Deadline for Paper Submission (3,000-5,000 words): June 1st, 2024

Format of the Meeting

At the meeting, sessions will be organized based on the thematic overlap. Participants will be paired with a discussant that will comment on their work after their presentation. For this purpose, we ask you to submit a paper of 3,000-5,000 words by June 1st. More information on workshops, keynotes, and events will follow in due time. 

Beyond the meeting presentations, we will organize a social picnic by the hill accessible by a short hike on June 20th.  

The meeting will have a hybrid format.

Participation fee

In order to cover basic expenses, we ask for a 30 EUR participation fee for in-person participants, to be paid in cash upon arrival (offline participation). 

Financial Support

A small amount of funding is available for EASA members taking part in the Annual Meeting in person and who have financial need. Funding will be given in the form of a fixed stipend based upon the number of participants requesting funding (likely around 80 Euro). If you would like to request funding for this meeting, we ask that you indicate this on your registration form. For those that may be able to secure funds from elsewhere (i.e. departmental funding) this would help us to provide a greater amount of funds to those without any sources of funding. We are aware that the price of accommodation in Geneva can be prohibiting, and we will try to work with participants to find affordable options. Concrete details on accommodation will be forthcoming after abstract acceptances. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Bologna!

MAYS Coordinators (mays.easa@gmail.com)

Matteo Valoncini, Department of History and Cultures, University of Bologna

Robert D. Smith, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Geneva Graduate Institute

MAYS Uncategorized

[Workshop] The Hospital in Transit

Please find below details onthe Fourth Online Workshop: “The Hospital in Transit”, This time, workshop will be dealing with: “Hospital Collaborations”.

30th of November 2023, online at 4 pm to 6 pm CET

Zoom link for the event: https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/64049374488

We will explore questions like: What is the changing global role of hospitals? Do our research methods also have changed after COVID-19? Both penetrable and secluded social spaces, hospitals have a thick history with anthropology.

During the workshop we will discuss 4 thought-provoking ethnographic case presentations:

  1. “Healthcare providers and anthropologists in collaboration: A case study from a gynaecological and obstetric service of a hospital in Barcelona”, Mariana Campos Lichtsztejn and Anna Molas Phd candidate at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  2. “Hospital fieldwork as a social experimental setting: Insights from a paediatric and maternal hospital in Barcelona”, Paula Martone, MSc  – Phd Candidate AFIN Research Group, Departament d’Antropologia Social i Cultural, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  3. “Navigating in a Foreign Field: Obstacles in front of Hospital Access for Ethnographers in Turkey” Öykü İnal, Freie Universät Berlin
  4.  “Anthropology and Quality Improvement in UK NHS Mental Health Services”, Matthew Day, Anthropology PhD Research Student, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent

Chair: Mirko Pasquini PhD, Centre for Medical Humanities, Uppsala University (mirko.pasquini@antro.uu.se)

MAYS Uncategorized

Re-post: EASA Executive Statement on the situation in Gaza

As MAYS we share what EASA published with respect to the current situation in Gaza.

Residential buildings 150 m from the Palestinian Tower, which were destroyed during the first week of intensive bombing by Israeli aircraft.
Source: Al Araby, License

The executive committee of the European Association of Social Anthropologists extends its solidarity to those mourning the loss of their loved ones in both Palestine and Israel.

We strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by the Israeli state against the civilians of Gaza. This concerns all the forms of violence inflicted upon Palestinians: air strikes claiming indiscriminately the lives of a population half of which are children; the massive destruction of livelihoods and infrastructure – including hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and the Islamic University of Gaza; the starving of the population by cutting its access to water, electricity, fuel, food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid.

As anthropologists with expertise on state violence, human rights, peace, conflict and security, we warn against decontextualised narratives of conflict and ‘terrorism’. The genocidal framing of Palestinians as culprits, as ‘human animals’, and as deserving of collective punishment has already incited murderous hatred against Muslims and Arabs in other parts of the world, and is likely to further subject Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to settler violence, adding to the state violence they are already victims of.

As anthropologists based in Europe, we also strongly condemn the support of the EU and of European governments to acts amounting to war crimes under international law. We urge governments to respect international law provisions that protect civilians and to understand that their actions and words bear heavy consequences likely to spill over in generalised violence against Arabs, Muslims, Palestinians, and those who support their plight – including the many dissenting voices in Israel and elsewhere.

We are deeply concerned about the repressive measures taken in some universities, in Europe and elsewhere, against those who expressed their solidarity with Palestinians and were suspended or harassed. This totalitarian silencing of dissent in the face of violence and war is unacceptable and in full dissonance with the goal of higher education to foster critical thinking among students and the public. We also condemn the violent repression of peaceful protests in Europe and elsewhere.

We heed the call of our colleagues from Birzeit University to speak up against genocidal violence, occupation, and the flagrant violation of human rights in Gaza and the Palestinian Occupied Territories, and call for the academic community to fulfil its mission of critique towards oppressive structures, of warning against the rippling effects of violence and occupation, and of speaking truth to power.

We call for an immediate ceasefire and immediate humanitarian relief for the people of Gaza, and a commitment from Israel and all governments to a peace process that deals with the historic inequalities, injustice and structural violence in the region.

Ana Ivasiuc, President EASA
On behalf of EASA’s Executive Committee

MAYS Announcements, Uncategorized

MAYS 2023 Co-Coordinator Elections Results

As Magdalena Góralska  has stepped down as MAYS co-coordinator, after being on the post for three year, it has been time to elect the next MAYS co-coordinator.

This year, there was one candidacy of  Matteo Valoncini, of the University of Bologna. His candidature received unanimous support from the MAYS community, with all votes cast in favor of Matteos candidacy. Matteo will remain MAYS co-coordinator for the next two academic years. Robert Dean Smith will remain as a co-coordinator for an additional year, serving the community for a total of two years.

Matteo Valoncini

Matteo Valoncini is a Ph.D. student at the Department of History and Cultures at the University of Bologna, where he also completed his Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology. His primary field of study is medical anthropology, in particular, the topic of digital technologies in healthcare – he is currently working on an ethnography of the digitization of primary healthcare in Italy by cross-referencing ANT with medical anthropology. As he is trying to understand how digitalized medical records affect the conception of body, health and disease, Matteo enjoys practising yoga, playing board games, and hiking in the Alps.

He first learned about the network at the EASA’s 2022 Biennial Conference in Belfast, and after participating in the MAYS’s Annual Meeting in 2023, decided to apply for the coordinatorship. To Matteo being part of the network is an incredibly enriching opportunity, and he hopes to support its stability, ensure its strength and further its growth. You can reach Matteo through e-mail: matteo.valoncini2[at]unibo.it.

You can read more of Matteo’s work here, and reach Matteo by e-mail at: matteo.valoncini2@unibo.it.

MAYS Announcements, Uncategorized

MAYS Coordinator Call 2023

MAYS is looking for a new co-coordinator!

Dear MAYS Members,

With the summer nearing an end, it’s time for MAYS to find its new co-coordinator! After 3 fruitful years of helping the network grow, Magdalena Góralska is moving to co-coordinate MAE (MAYS parent network), seeking someone who can take over her role as one of MAYS co-coordinators. 

We are seeking candidates for the 2-year role of MAYS co-coordinator. The candidates will be voted for in general MAYS Coordinator Elections – the polls will open by the end of August and stay open till mid-September when the new co-coordinator is announced. 

To apply you must be a doctoral student or an early-career academic in a European university, and have about a full day or two per month minimum, on average, to take the coordinator responsibility.

To apply, please, fill up this form by August 21st, the end of the day. To apply you will need to submit your academic CV and provide:

  • A short synopsis of your research interests and projects.
  • Experiences that speak to your eligibility for the role.
  • What would be your plans for the next meeting and for MAYS in general?

Application deadline: 21 August 2023, till the end of the day.

MAYS Announcements, Uncategorized

MAYS 2022 Co-Coordinator Elections Results

As Chandni Shyam has stepped down as MAYS co-coordinator at the end of October, after being on the post for a year, it has been time to elect the next MAYS co-coordinator.

This year, there was one candidacy of Robert Dean Smith, of the Geneva Graduate Institute. His candidature received unanimous support from the MAYS community, with all votes cast in favor of Robert’s candidacy. Robert will remain MAYS co-coordinator for the next two academic years. Magdalena Góralska will remain as a co-coordinator for an additional year, serving the community for a total of three years.

Robert Dean Smith

PhD Student, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, the Geneva Graduate Institute

Robert completed his bachelor’s degree in Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London, before completing his MA in Anthropology and Sociology at the Geneva Graduate Institute. He previously conducted research on how cancer came to be seen as a health priority in colonial India, which led him to his current research interests in the relationships between politics and health; both as the politics of health seen within health austerity, and the ways that health becomes a form of politics within electoral competitions in India. Robert has also worked in professional roles that have aimed to bring social science perspectives to public health discussions, including ‘digital health’ and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Beyond the academic world, Robert enjoys cooking creative food. You can read more of Robert’s work here, and reach Robert by e-mail at: robert.smith@graduateinstitute.ch.

MAYS Uncategorized

MAYS Coordinator Call 2022

MAYS is short of another co-coordinator!

As it is offcially the fall again, it’s time for Coordinator Elections in MAYS!! Do you want to take an active role in connecting students and early career scholars with an interest in Medical Anthropology? Would you like to organize the next MAYS conference? Do you have ideas about how to expand and deepen the MAYS network? Would you like to expand your skills and contacts and become an organizing member of EASA?

To apply you must be a doctoral student or an early-career academic in a European university, and have about a full day or two per month minimum, on average, to give to our quickly growing community. The co-coordinator post is a two-year post. A new coordinator will take place of Chandni Shyam, who needed to resign early from her post and work alongside Magdalena Góralska, who will stay as the second co-coordinator for another year.

If you would like to apply please sent us an email to mays.easa@gmail.com with two attachments: (1) your academic CV, and (2) a Word document with short answers of not more than 200 words to each of those three following prompts:

  • A short synopsis of research interests and projects.
  • Experiences that speak to your eligibility for the role.
  • What would be your plans for the next meeting and for MAYS in general?

Application deadline: 23 October 2022, till the end of the day.

Thank you in advance for your interest and application! If you have any questions regarding the application and/or MAYS coordination, please do not hesitate to contact us at mays.easa@gmail.com.

All the best

MAYS Team

MAYS Uncategorized

New MAYS Coordinator: Chandni Shyam

Dear MAYS members!

We’d like to welcome Chandni Shyam from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands to the post of MAYS Coordinator for the years 2021-2023.

Chandni will be taking over from Anthony Rizk and will be co-coordinating with Magdalena Góralska. We are very much looking forward to Chandni’s enthusiasm and contributions to the MAYS network and her ideas for its development!

In case you missed it, this was her application statement:

SHORT SYNOPSIS OF YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS AND PROJECT

I have a long standing interest in medical anthropology, especially in narratives that are essential but overlooked. I have worked extensively on gender and mental healthcare as a Reserach Associate at IIT Madras. During this time, I also worked briefly on the unequal attention paid to affective labour of mental healthcare nurses in Indian hospitals. Right now, I am working on a second masters for which I have been doing fieldwork on Covid-19 vaccinations in Chennai and the ways in which information about the state and vaccines work towards compliance. I truly believe that healthcare has to be universally available and culturally sensitive. Furthermore, my own lived experience as a cancer survivor has helped expand my scopes of what medical anthropology can do.

EXPERIENCES THAT SPEAK TO YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ROLE

I have organised many events, both online and offline at numerous instances of my academic career. More importantly, I have always worked on creating and nurturing a community of learners. For example, I am a core team member of the Students for Cultural Anthropology Journal, which is a student initiative to foster peer review. My work with the journal stems from the belief that community is really important for thriving in academia. After all, whatever we write is on the back of many before us and for those with and after us. I also think that there is a lot of scope for collaborative and experimental learning in medical anthropology. My explorations in writing literary ethnography and quantitative ethnography have been fruitful in this regard but I really need a good community for learning and growing with.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR MAYS?

I would like to increase the social media presence of MAYS through reading groups and field discussions. It would also be interesting to have coffee talks online and offline that can give open up space for learning about new ethnographic explorations in medical anthropology.

Congratulations again, Chandni!

MAYS Announcements

MAYS Coordinator Elections 2021

As Anthony Rizks is soon stepping down as MAYS co-coordinator after being on the post for two years, it is time to elect the next MAYS coordinator!

This year, we have two candidates:
– Diana Antonia Jeflea,
– Chandini Shyam.

Each of the candidates provided us with information about their interests, experience, and goals for MAYS.  Please read through the information they provided below and then please submit your vote for who you would like to be the next MAYS coordinator (a two-year term) and the person who will take the lead in planning the next MAYS Meeting.

The election will close on 10 November 2021, midnight.

Diana Antonia Jeflea

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Department of Cultural Sciences

Short synopsis of your research interests and project

My main research interests are migration, risk situation communication, medical crises’ management, civic activism, and biopower and biopolitics. I have already undergone theses and researches in these fields, some of the most recent ones focusing on women’s seasonal migration during the COVID-19 pandemic, truck drivers as transnational migrants during the pandemic, and discourses in social media regarding the SARS-CoV-2 situation. Moreover, I am highly focused on the social aspect of this medical event that we are encountering in society itself and in smaller groups of people. Nevertheless, I seek to understand the impact states have in fighting against the spreading of the virus and their intrusion into people’s lives.

Experiences that speak to your eligibility for the role

First, I have coordination experience which recommends me for this position. I have done five years of volunteering in Romania, for Hospice of Hope, which provided me with various insides in many aspects of the administrative field, such as fundraising, events coordination or projects coordination and management. Secondly, I deeply think that being the group coordinator during my Master’s Degree let me understand better the modalities in which people with similar interests can be gathered together and engaged in meaningful debates.

What are your plans for MAYS?

I am willing to create a space in which members of the international academic community can break boundaries and find new and exciting aspects of other social and cultural spaces. I think that being a highly creative person could help to organize stimulating events for people who are seeking to create information. How? By making sure everyone fits in the puzzle and brings his own piece to it, making sure its growth never stops. Moreover, I cannot wait to be able to organize an offline event again, but always keeping in mind that there are people who would like to participate and cannot do so due to various reasons. Hence, implementing a long-term hybrid form of conferences would be one of my first actions.

Chandni Shyam

Utrecht University/ MSc(research) Cultural Anthropology: Sociocultural Transformations

SHORT SYNOPSIS OF YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS AND PROJECT

I have a long standing interest in medical anthropology, especially in narratives that are essential but overlooked. I have worked extensively on gender and mental healthcare as a Reserach Associate at IIT Madras. During this time, I also worked briefly on the unequal attention paid to affective labour of mental healthcare nurses in Indian hospitals. Right now, I am working on a second masters for which I have been doing fieldwork on Covid-19 vaccinations in Chennai and the ways in which information about the state and vaccines work towards compliance. I truly believe that healthcare has to be universally available and culturally sensitive. Furthermore, my own lived experience as a cancer survivor has helped expand my scopes of what medical anthropology can do.

EXPERIENCES THAT SPEAK TO YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ROLE

I have organised many events, both online and offline at numerous instances of my academic career. More importantly, I have always worked on creating and nurturing a community of learners. For example, I am a core team member of the Students for Cultural Anthropology Journal, which is a student initiative to foster peer review. My work with the journal stems from the belief that community is really important for thriving in academia. After all, whatever we write is on the back of many before us and for those with and after us. I also think that there is a lot of scope for collaborative and experimental learning in medical anthropology. My explorations in writing literary ethnography and quantitative ethnography have been fruitful in this regard but I really need a good community for learning and growing with.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR MAYS?

I would like to increase the social media presence of MAYS through reading groups and field discussions. It would also be interesting to have coffee talks online and offline that can give open up space for learning about new ethnographic explorations in medical anthropology.

VOTE HERE