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Dear All,
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<p>apologies for cross posting – we hope this call for papers for
the RGS-IBG conference will be of interest to list members:<br>
<br>
<b>Mapping power relations in assemblages of health and care</b><br>
<br>
Royal Geographical Society (with Institute for British
Geographers) Annual Conference<br>
London, 27th–30th August 2024<br>
<br>
Organisers: Jessy Williams (University of Birmingham) and Mara
Linden (Goethe University Frankfurt)</p>
<p>In a recent intervention on the status of assemblage in health
geographies, Cameron Duff (2023) argues that a stronger account
of the role of power is necessary. This assertion draws on Ian
Buchanan’s (2021) recent book on assemblage theory and method
which underscores the importance of specifying relations of
dependency between components and the powers of selection at
work in assemblages. These concerns are echoed in feminist
technoscience of care, for example, Martin et al. (2015, p.627)
suggest: "Practices of care are always shot through with
asymmetrical power relations: who has the power to care? Who has
the power to define what counts as care and how it should be
administered?".</p>
<p>Bringing assemblage theory, health geographies and feminist
technoscience into conversation, in this session we propose to
'map' power relations in assemblages of health and care. Deleuze
and Guattari (1987, p.12) state to "[m]ake a map and not a
tracing". We interpret this as a claim to ask for the how, when,
where and <i>why</i> rather than listing an "ever-growing heap
of fragments" (Buchanan, 2021, p.119) of an assemblage as a
collection of heterogenous elements. As such, we invite papers
that aim to identify and analyse the components and relations of
dependency in assemblages, in order to explore both oppressive
and therapeutic arrangements of health, care and wellbeing (Duff
and Hill, 2022; Duff, 2023).</p>
<p>We welcome work that engages with questions of power,
responsibilities and control in respect of health and care
assemblages. In addition to theoretical papers on assemblage
and/or related concepts (such as, territory, strata, body
without organs, abstract machine), we also welcome papers with
an empirical focus, for example, mapping the potential of
assemblage in practice, or how an assemblage could be arranged
differently. </p>
<p>Possible paper themes include, but not limited to:<br>
</p>
<ul>
<li>Empirical, theoretical or methodological approaches and
examples of power relations in assemblages of health, care,
wellbeing across mental health, physical health; critical,
queer, non-Western and indigenous knowledges of health; health
security; more-than-human or planetary health; digital health;
health governance <br>
</li>
<li>De-territorializing/re-territorializing health and care </li>
<li>Mapping spaces, infrastructures and ecologies of health and
care</li>
<li>Critical interventions into ‘why’ assemblage and comparisons
to: dispositif (apparatus), ANT, affective arrangements,
ecology, for example</li>
<li>Ethics and politics of health and care assemblages:
responsibilities and relations <br>
</li>
<li>Interdisciplinary engagements with assemblage in STS or
sociology, for example</li>
</ul>
<p>We welcome standard conference papers as well as non-standard
formats. We hope to provide a space for open questions and
constructive comments. Details on inclusivity, accessibility and
the RGS conference code of conduct can be found at the end of
this email. We hope to hold 1 or 2 timeslots, with 15 minutes
for individual presentations and time for discussion. The
session will be held in person. </p>
<p>We are seeking sponsorship from Geographies of Health and
Wellbeing research group.</p>
<p>Please email a 250 word abstract along with your name, email
address and affiliation by 23 February 2024 to Jessy Williams <a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="mailto:jxs270@student.bham.ac.uk" moz-do-not-send="true">jxs270@student.bham.ac.uk</a>
and Mara Linden <a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="mailto:linden@geo.uni-frankfurt.de"
moz-do-not-send="true">linden@geo.uni-frankfurt.de</a>. If you
have any questions, please email us. </p>
<p>All the best,</p>
<p>Jessy and Mara</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Details on inclusivity, accessibility and the conference code
of conduct can be found here: </p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/inclusivity-and-safety-at-the-conference"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/inclusivity-and-safety-at-the-conference</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/planning-your-attendance/accessibility-at-the-conference"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/planning-your-attendance/accessibility-at-the-conference</a></p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>References:</p>
<p>Buchanan, I. (2021). Assemblage Theory and Method. London and
New York: Bloomsbury Academic.</p>
<p>Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (1987). A Thousand Plateaus.
Capitalism and Schizophrenia. London/New York/Dublin: Bloomsbury
Academic.</p>
<p>Duff, C., & Hill, N. (2022). Wellbeing as social care: On
assemblages and the ‘commons’. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 3,
100078. <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2022.100078"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2022.100078</a></p>
<p>Duff, C. (2023). The ends of an assemblage of health. Social
Science and Medicine, 317(115636), 1–8. <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115636"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115636</a></p>
<p>Martin, A., Myers, N., & Viseu, A. (2015). The politics of
care in technoscience. Social Studies of Science, 45(5),
625–641. <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312715602073"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312715602073</a></p>
<br>
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