“Emotions in/and Medical Anthropology”
6th Medical Anthropology Young Scholars (MAYS) Annual Meeting, 11-12 June
2015, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research
CfP MAYS 2015 conference Emotions in_and Medical Anthropology [PDF]
We are proud to announce the 6th annual MAYS encounter among young medical anthropology scholars taking place at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).
This year we will explore the relation between medical anthropology and emotions. How do we conceptualize emotions as medical anthropologists? What counts as emotions? Emotions can be enacted and experienced because of disease and illness, but emotions can also become pathologized or seen as vectors of well-being. Emotions can be seen as causing illnesses but they can also result in healing. The analysis of emotions in disease, illness and recovery is linked to an analysis of illness experience and health-seeking actions. How do cultural perceptions shape when the showing of emotions is appropriate and which emotions are culturally accepted/appropriate? How do patients, healers, physicians, caregivers and family members negotiate emotions amongst and between each other? What are the intended and unintended consequences of emotion events and experiences? In a broader sense, how do we mobilize emotions and how do emotions mobilize us into certain actions, influence communication, and navigate us through healthcare systems?
Furthermore, we welcome papers addressing methodological and ethical issues related to emotions. How are emotions present in our work, how do we work with them and embody them in our anthropological practice?
Topics for possible papers/panels can include, but are not limited to:
– Emotions and methodology
– Painful emotions, suffering, trauma etc.
– Joyful emotions, friendship, well-being etc.
– Cultural, ontological differences and emotions
– Emotions aimed toward others: care, compassion and worrying
– Embodied emotion
– Politics of emotions
– Emotion discourses and narratives
Format of the meeting:
The conference will have a peer-review structure. We believe this structure is of great value since everyone will have the opportunity to receive feedback and engage with each other’s work, making the encounters most productive. There will be two parallel group sessions, containing eight presentations each. They will include paper presentations of ten minutes followed by 20 minutes of discussion. Participants will be asked to submit their papers ahead of time so that everybody can read them beforehand. Furthermore, we will assign ‘presenter tandems’. This means that someone else will present your paper and comment on it, and you will be asked to comment on your tandem partner’s paper. This has proven to be a productive format that guarantees each presenter will receive well-founded feedback and typically initiates a constructive discussion. Infos about workshops and a keynote lecture will follow in due time.
Registration fee:
There will be a small registration fee of 10 Euros per person to be paid upon arrival to cover expenses for snacks, coffee, etc. We are currently exploring funding possibilities. Unfortunately we will not be able to refund speakers’ travel costs and strongly encourage you to search for funding options in your own institutions.
Time line:
We invite you to submit an abstract of max. 300 words. After the notification of acceptance you will be requested to submit your complete paper, which should be no longer than 5,000 words (excluding references).
Abstract submission at mays.easa@gmail.com
Deadline: February 1st 2015
Notification of acceptance: 1st March 2015
Deadline for paper submission: 1st May 2015
We are looking forward to reading and hearing about your research projects and welcoming you in Amsterdam!
MAYS Coordinators:
Natashe Lemos Dekker (Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research)
Judith Schühle (Freie Universität Berlin)