Breath Symposium

Dear Wisans

We write to extend an invitation to you to participate in, and present at, the BREATH: INSPIRE/EXPIRE medical and health humanities symposium taking place virtually during October and November 2020, and which will be hosted by WiSER.

Discussions on the topic BREATH: INSPIRE/EXPIRE have become increasingly timely and pertinent with the coronavirus affecting how we think about breath and breathing; lungs and livelihoods across the African continent; and as we bear witness to the asphyxiation of the planet and people at the hands of the powerful and privileged.

We will bring academics and artists together to creatively think about the many ways that breath and breathing feature in our everyday lives. We invite you to join us to collectively explore themes around breath - the physical processes to inhale, or inspire - and exhale, or expire - as well as metaphorical or conceptual extensions of what it means to inspire and expire. We welcome diverse presentation formats including the conventional conference paper, as well as poetry, photography, film, and music.

By hosting this symposium, we also aim to create new research collaborations and further strengthen the Southern and East African Medical Health Humanities network (SEAMHH). Currently our research network reaches a variety of academics, artists, activists and practitioners who work on the intersections of social sciences, humanities, health sciences, arts and activism.

The symposium will consist of a series of virtual events across October and November 2020. An anchor event will take place in both months and will be in conversation with a variety of other contributions including live panel discussions, online performances, circulated papers, and pre-recorded content uploaded to the Medical and Health Humanities Africa YouTube channel. The programme will include conventional synchronous virtual events as well as alternative formats. We invite you to think creatively about such formats and we will do our best to accommodate as wide a variety of formats and events as possible.

 If you would like to join this event please complete the form (see link below) confirming your participation, contribution, preferred form of presentation, and your availability. Please kindly complete by Monday 03 August 2020. 

https://forms.gle/RnkmyFGikB3PT9G4A .

Please contact the organising team at breathsymposium2020@gmail.com if you would like more information about the symposium or if you know of others who might be interested in participating in the symposium.

Thank you and we look forward to your participation.

click here for the programme.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the SEAMHH sympposium team: Prof Nolwazi Mkhwanazi | Dr Carla Tsampiras | Dr Renée van der Wiel