Tue 8 March @ 11:00 am – Wed 9 March @ 4:00 pm
Joachim Room, College of St Hild & St Bede, Durham
Breath, a physiological universal, is uniquely both an automatic and controllable process at different times; it is also a subjective experience, an elaborated technique, and a fundamental part of knowledge systems and world views. Breathing is interactive and offers a mode of relating to the world, engaging with others, objects, environments, and technologies. Crucially, the significance and meaning of breath varies according to the context in which it is understood and enacted. Yet breath is a theme seldom considered in anthropological or cross-cultural research, despite the implications this could have in comprehending just what breath is, and what it means to live and breathe. This interdisciplinary two day symposium, organised by the Centre for Medical Humanities and Anthropology Department at Durham University as part of the Life of Breath project, offers an exciting platform to explore, discuss and gain insight into the perception and experience of breath and breathing practices both historically and cross-culturally.
Guest speakers will include;
- Prof Anita Hardon (University of Amsterdam)
- Dr Marewa Glover (Massey University, New Zealand)
A full programme will be available soon.