The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade and the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Zadar invite you send your proposals for the conference: “In the Frictions: Fragments of Care, Health and Wellbeing in the Balkans” that will be held at University of Zadar on 27-30th April 2023.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, interest in care, health, and wellbeing resurged across various disciplines. We are interested in how anthropology has responded to new care realities in the Balkans. These follow both the pandemic and the neoliberal restructuring of the last decades. By looking at the resulting fragmentation of care in the Balkans, this conference aims to move away from the dichotomous frameworks of Balkanism (Todorova, 2009) to rethink the Balkans as a site of knowledge production that has more to offer than just “catching up” with the West. What theoretical and methodological issues do anthropologists face in their research in the Balkans? How do people in the Balkans relate to one another within caring relationships themselves? What does care look like in practice and what does it entail? How are caring relationships shaped and changed? How do these experiences and relationships inform or challenge broader theoretical concerns?
We see this conference as a step towards building a network of anthropologists working on the issues of care in the Balkans.
Possible topics include but are not limited to: Structural violence and care; Gendering care; Racializing care; Solidarity and care; Narratives of (health)care; Spirituality and care; Public and private health/care; Humanitarianism and care; Care and the commons; Ecology, ecofeminist care; Care and social class Care and mobility Care and the economy Care and the state.
We invite submissions for presentations of up to 15 minutes. Please send proposals of no more than 300 words and a brief biographical note (100 words) to inthefrictions@gmail.com by October 15th, 2022.
For more information download the call attached or visit our web: https://conference.unizd.hr/frictions/.