Accessibility statement

SATSU Talk - João Nunes

Wednesday 1 November 2017, 1.00PM to 2:00pm

Speaker(s): João Nunes

The presentation explores the reproduction of vulnerabilities in global health, and the ways in which these have been contested and resisted by individuals and groups. It does so by combining, on the one hand, a focus on macro-level dynamics in health agenda setting that lead to the neglect of certain issues, determinants or groups; and, on the other hand, an attention towards the everyday practices through which this neglect is reproduced. The argument builds upon the constructivist-inspired literature in global health, which has focused on the social processes of framing, agenda-setting and issue-prioritisation. It adds to this literature by showing the interconnection between economic, social and affective processes in the perpetuation of neglected issues, and by emphasizing the role of power therein. The argument also contributes by highlighting the potential for tackling neglect that is present in everyday practices. Here, the presentation will be inspired by the burgeoning literature on everyday political economy to show how everyday practices can be powerful devices of contestation and subversion. Discussing in particular the potentialities and pitfalls of community-centred approaches to health in the Brazilian context, the presentation makes the case for an everyday political economy of global health with a critical purpose, one that draws from critical theoretical approaches to identify immanent potential for emancipatory change.

Location: Wentworth College W/243 (SATSU Meeting Room)

Admission: FREE