This essay reflects on an anthropology course developed at one of the two “post-apartheid” univer... more This essay reflects on an anthropology course developed at one of the two “post-apartheid” universities in South Africa. The course included collaborating with artists and a local dance/ performance troupe. It culminated in a film by Francois Knoetze (featuring collaborators), a musical performance by the Amandla Danca Teatro, and an exhibition by students. Knitting together practice, theory and alternative research and narrative methods, the course intervened on a developmentalist trajectory in the romantic “sparkling” narrative of Kimberley as the “city of diamonds.” Alternative, ordinary and sometimes contested stories emerged.
[1000 days] of focus and intense care in order to ‘secure’ infants’ future health,
[6 months] of... more [1000 days] of focus and intense care in order to ‘secure’ infants’ future health,
[6 months] of exclusive breastfeeding.
These brackets of time demarcate periods of intense focus and intervention that aim at mitigating loss and securing potential. As Michelle Pentecost writes in the introduction to this series, this impetus draws on new research in epigenetics, neuroscience and DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), and operates on notions of best practice that sketch the contours of ‘good mothering’. I track this discourse in relation to everyday lived experience in a small Cape Winelands town that is characterised by stark inequality and seasonal precariousness.
My Social Anthropology Honours Thesis:
Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality ra... more My Social Anthropology Honours Thesis: Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa, this thesis asks: how does one responsibly research experiences of TB from an anthropological perspective? This filters into the debate about the political economy approach that focuses on structural violence as opposed to the mode of ‘cultural’ anthropology that examines and compares the textures of the everyday. Based on fieldwork conducted in Bishop Lavis and Malawi camp, this thesis explores ways in which bodies matter. It suggests that a focus on ingestion and inhalation as physical, bodily processes as well as a consideration of ‘swallowing’ the world in terms of political and historical confluence yields useful data and insights into the TB epidemic. It is proposed that the notion of co-feeling is useful in conducting research that is flexible, sensitive and context-specific.
This essay reflects on an anthropology course developed at one of the two “post-apartheid” univer... more This essay reflects on an anthropology course developed at one of the two “post-apartheid” universities in South Africa. The course included collaborating with artists and a local dance/ performance troupe. It culminated in a film by Francois Knoetze (featuring collaborators), a musical performance by the Amandla Danca Teatro, and an exhibition by students. Knitting together practice, theory and alternative research and narrative methods, the course intervened on a developmentalist trajectory in the romantic “sparkling” narrative of Kimberley as the “city of diamonds.” Alternative, ordinary and sometimes contested stories emerged.
[1000 days] of focus and intense care in order to ‘secure’ infants’ future health,
[6 months] of... more [1000 days] of focus and intense care in order to ‘secure’ infants’ future health,
[6 months] of exclusive breastfeeding.
These brackets of time demarcate periods of intense focus and intervention that aim at mitigating loss and securing potential. As Michelle Pentecost writes in the introduction to this series, this impetus draws on new research in epigenetics, neuroscience and DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), and operates on notions of best practice that sketch the contours of ‘good mothering’. I track this discourse in relation to everyday lived experience in a small Cape Winelands town that is characterised by stark inequality and seasonal precariousness.
My Social Anthropology Honours Thesis:
Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality ra... more My Social Anthropology Honours Thesis: Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa, this thesis asks: how does one responsibly research experiences of TB from an anthropological perspective? This filters into the debate about the political economy approach that focuses on structural violence as opposed to the mode of ‘cultural’ anthropology that examines and compares the textures of the everyday. Based on fieldwork conducted in Bishop Lavis and Malawi camp, this thesis explores ways in which bodies matter. It suggests that a focus on ingestion and inhalation as physical, bodily processes as well as a consideration of ‘swallowing’ the world in terms of political and historical confluence yields useful data and insights into the TB epidemic. It is proposed that the notion of co-feeling is useful in conducting research that is flexible, sensitive and context-specific.
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musical performance by the Amandla Danca Teatro, and an exhibition by students. Knitting together practice, theory and alternative research and narrative methods, the course intervened on a developmentalist trajectory in the romantic “sparkling” narrative of Kimberley as the “city
of diamonds.” Alternative, ordinary and sometimes contested stories emerged.
[6 months] of exclusive breastfeeding.
These brackets of time demarcate periods of intense focus and intervention that aim at mitigating loss and securing potential. As Michelle Pentecost writes in the introduction to this series, this impetus draws on new research in epigenetics, neuroscience and DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), and operates on notions of best practice that sketch the contours of ‘good mothering’. I track this discourse in relation to everyday lived experience in a small Cape Winelands town that is characterised by stark inequality and seasonal precariousness.
Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa, this thesis asks: how does one responsibly research experiences of TB from an anthropological perspective? This filters into the debate about the political economy approach that focuses on structural violence as opposed to the mode of ‘cultural’ anthropology that examines and compares the textures of the everyday. Based on fieldwork conducted in Bishop Lavis and Malawi camp, this thesis explores ways in which bodies matter. It suggests that a focus on ingestion and inhalation as physical, bodily processes as well as a consideration of ‘swallowing’ the world in terms of political and historical confluence yields useful data and insights into the TB epidemic. It is proposed that the notion of co-feeling is useful in conducting research that is flexible, sensitive and context-specific.
musical performance by the Amandla Danca Teatro, and an exhibition by students. Knitting together practice, theory and alternative research and narrative methods, the course intervened on a developmentalist trajectory in the romantic “sparkling” narrative of Kimberley as the “city
of diamonds.” Alternative, ordinary and sometimes contested stories emerged.
[6 months] of exclusive breastfeeding.
These brackets of time demarcate periods of intense focus and intervention that aim at mitigating loss and securing potential. As Michelle Pentecost writes in the introduction to this series, this impetus draws on new research in epigenetics, neuroscience and DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), and operates on notions of best practice that sketch the contours of ‘good mothering’. I track this discourse in relation to everyday lived experience in a small Cape Winelands town that is characterised by stark inequality and seasonal precariousness.
Considering the extremely high morbidity and mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa, this thesis asks: how does one responsibly research experiences of TB from an anthropological perspective? This filters into the debate about the political economy approach that focuses on structural violence as opposed to the mode of ‘cultural’ anthropology that examines and compares the textures of the everyday. Based on fieldwork conducted in Bishop Lavis and Malawi camp, this thesis explores ways in which bodies matter. It suggests that a focus on ingestion and inhalation as physical, bodily processes as well as a consideration of ‘swallowing’ the world in terms of political and historical confluence yields useful data and insights into the TB epidemic. It is proposed that the notion of co-feeling is useful in conducting research that is flexible, sensitive and context-specific.