Anthropology Seminar Series 2016-17
Thursdays, 2:00 pm, Anthropology Seminar Room, Rh2.20 Rowan House (upper floor)
Click on the tabs below to view details about each seminar.
22nd September 2016, PhD Showcase
PhD Showcase
Matjaz Pinter
6th October 2016, Niamh Shortt, University of Edingburgh [hosted by Dept. of Geography, Venue: Rocque Lab]
"Exploring Geographies of Alcohol and Tobacco from Data Collection to Twittertrolls"
Niamh Shortt, Senior Lecturer in Health Geography in the School of Geosciences and Co-Director of the Centre for Environment, Society and Health (CRESH), University of Edinburgh
Abstract:
Geographers have, for some time now, been exploring issues of the alcohol environment focussing on the political, economic, social, cultural and spatial processes that shape such environments and responses to them. Related research has included both empirical, quantitative measures of the alcogenic environment and more social and cultural understandings of the spatial practices and processes of alcohol consumption, identity, lifestyle, behaviour and alcohol-related harm. The harmful use of alcohol poses a significant public health challenge. In 2012 3.3 million deaths, or 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol. This harm however is not evenly experienced with the burden falling heavily on the lowest socio-economic groups. In Ireland, as in many countries, alcohol consumption is more frequent in the more affluent socio-economic groups, however harm is highest in the lowest socio-economic groups. This is known as the alcohol-harm paradox. Within geography there has been a general neglect of the role that place may play in the differential impacts upon different sub-groups of the population. Within alcohol research, and in particular that focussing on alcohol outlet density, the tendency has been to treat the population as one group and measure the effects on the population as a whole. The belief that neighbourhoods will matter equally to all within them is flawed. This paper will explore the interaction between alcohol outlet density, socio-economic status and alcohol consumption. We query whether those living in neighbourhoods of high alcohol outlet density exhibit more risky alcohol consumption patterns compared to those in areas of low alcohol outlet density. Furthermore we explore whether or not this environment shapes consumption patterns equally amongst all socioeconomic groups. Finally the paper considers the policy implications of this research and charts the authors experience with knowledge translation and industry related feedback.
4.00-5.30pm
Rocque Lab, Ground Floor, Rhetoric House
Maynooth University
20th October 2016, Daniel Miller, University College London
"
Why we Post - The Anthropology of Social Media"
Professor Daniel Miller, University College London
9th November 2016, US Election Event [in conjunction with the Dept of Spanish]
“America Votes. Ireland Watches”
A roundtable discussion about the US Election
Chaired by Sadhbh McCarthy, Maynoothy University
- Colleen Dube, CEO UVersity
- Professor Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, Associate Professor, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, University of New Mexico;2016-17 Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Department of American Cultures and Literatures, Hacettepe University, Ankara
- Professor of Media Studies, María Pramaggiore
- Dr Jamie Saris, Anthropology Department
- Adrian Kavanagh, Department of Geography
Tuesday 8 November
2.00pm
John Hume Boardroom
John Hume Building, North Campus
RSVP: 12 noon, Monday 7th November
Contact anthropology.office@nuim.ie
24th November 2016, Ela Drazkiewicz, Dept of Anthropology, Maynooth
“Our Missionaries and the Moral Economy of Foreign Aid"
Dr Ela Drazkiewicz, Department of Anthropology, Maynooth University
Thursday 24th November
2.00pm, Anthropology Seminar Room, RH2.20 Rowan House
8th December 2016, Tim Ingold, University of Aberdeen
“From the North with my Cello, or, Five Propositions on Beauty”
6.30pm Evening lecture
Lecture Room 1 (SE014), New School of Education Building
14th December 2016, David Westbrook, State University of New York
Louis A. Del Cotto Professor
Buffalo Law School, State University of New York
“REFLECTIONS ON THE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN PROJECTS: ANSWERING ROUSSEAU”
Thursday, 14th December 2016, 6.30pm,
Lecture Room 1 (SE014),
New School of Education Building
followed by Christmas reception
David A. Westbrook thinks and writes about the social and intellectual consequences of contemporary political economy. His work influences numerous disciplines, including law, economics, finance, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and design. He has spoken on six continents to academics, business and financial leaders, members of the security community, civil institutions and governments, often with the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department.
Westbrook has published numerous articles and book chapters, as well as five books, most recently Out of Crisis: Rethinking Our Financial Markets and Deploying Ourselves: Islamist Violence and the Responsible Projection of U.S. Force.
15th December 2016, Sabine Strasser, Universität Bern
“Transnational Moralities: Death and moral responsibility across the Mediterranean”
Dr Sabine Strasser, Institut für Sozialanthropologie, Universität Bern [CREOLE Exchange]
23rd March 2017, Dunja Apostolov-Dimitrijevic, Carleton University
Working the Modern Geopolitical Imagination: Serbia’s Diplomatic Connections with China and Russia
2.00-3.30pm
Venue: RH2.20 Anthropology Seminar Room, Rowan House
Dunja Apostolov-Dimitrijevic is a PhD Candidate in Political Science with a Specialization in Political Economy from Carleton University. Her doctoral research project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and has been awarded the Graduate Research and Innovative Thinking Award.
13th April 2017, Gertrude Saxinger, University of Vienna
The Mobile Workers Guide – coping with FIFO and Rotational Shift Work in Mining. Yukon Experiences
2.30 - 4.00pm
Venue: RH2.20 Anthropology Seminar Room, Rowan House
Dr Gertude Saxinger
Assistant Professor at the University of Vienna, Department for Social and Cultural Anthropology
In today´s mining industry men and women travel back and forth between their homes and the camps nearby their work places. This way of life is essential to the contemporary system of labour force provision in the extractive industries that has left the model of mono-industrial towns largely behind and has shifted to long-distance commuting (LDC) and fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) models. Understanding this way of life is relevant for both, the indigenous and non-indigenous people alike who are involved into this industry. Besides existing hardships such as separation from the family and the confinement to a life in the workers´ camp (under company control), the majority of people lead a meaningful life beyond stereotype assumptions of deviance such as drugs, prostitutes and alcohol.
Saxinger just completed the “Mobile Workers Guide – coping with FIFO and Rotational Shift Work in Mining. Yukon Experiences” as an applied research outcome. The booklet presents a wide range of insights into a work life that is characterised by mobility, living in camps and being on scheduled times away from home. In it, experienced workers – men and women alike – from a variety of professions in the exploration and mining sector provide insight for those who are new to this industry. They share stories, experiences, strategies for coping with potential difficulties and tips for how to benefit from this traveling lifestyle. The sections of the guide introduce the readers to topics, such as, coping with boom and bust cycles, specifics of mining communities, First Nation employment, women in mining, family life and private relationships, income management and career development.
This paper draws on examples from the Yukon gold and silver mining industry where local indigenous people as well as FIFO workers from all over Canada are employed. In particular experiences from community based research and collaboration with the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun in the Yukon Territory are discussed.
*Research themes: Arctic extractive industries: labour mobility (Fly-in/fly-out work), community-company relations, mono-industrial towns, regional development
26th April 2017, Mateja Habinc, University of Ljubljana
Second-hand shops in Slovenia: contemporary and past situations
Evening Lecture - 5.00 - 6.30pm
Venue: RH2.20 Anthropology Seminar Room, Rowan House
Dr Mateja Habinc
University of Ljubljana
In contemporary Slovenia there are only a few second-hand shops with clothing for adults. In this lecture, I will describe how textile waste is dealt with in Slovenia and especially in Ljubljana, the country’s capital, where a second-hand trade is slowly developing. I will then outline the possible explanations for this contemporary situation.
As public opinion often suggests, Slovenes are too conservative and “stuck in the socialist mentality” to be open to such sustainable and eco-conscious novelties. There is supposedly no tradition of using and trading in used clothing. However, I will argue that even a brief insight into Slovenia’s history contradicts established opinion. Indeed, historical evidence suggests the contrary – it was only during the socialist period of the country that the tradition of using and trading with second-hand clothing was broken. So why is it, then, that we are supposedly stuck in “the socialist mentality”?
27th April 2017, Cacique Guarani Kaiowá Ládio Verón
‘The Struggle for Indigenous Land Rights in Brazil: A Meeting with Cacique Guarani Kaiowá Ládio Verón’
Introduced by Dr Chandana Mathur
2.30pm Anthropology Seminar Room
The meeting with Cacique Guarani Kaiowá Ládio Verón will bring attention to the growing violence imposed on indigenous peoples in Brazil.
An unelected national President and a parliament dominated by agribusiness and mining interests are currently pursuing policies resulting in rampant environmental devastation and the violation of the human rights and land rights of the more than 300 indigenous nations in Brazil. In 2015, according to the Indian Missionary Council (CIMI), 137 indigenous people were murdered, of which 36 cases occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul, mostly Guarani Kaiowá. Also in 2015, the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) estimated deforestation extending to an area of around 5,800 km² in Brazil. With the approval of PEC 215 (Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 215), the National Congress intends to drastically reduce indigenous territories in Brazil, going down from the current 13% to 2.6%, leading to further deforestation and criminalization of the native communities.
This event, free and open to all, provides an opportunity to hear a first-hand account of these troubling developments.