Nov 2018 – late 2019 Everyone breathes. From a baby’s first cries to a dying gasp, breath is an ever-present companion on the journey through life. Breathing isn’t just a biological process. It enables us to communicate, to speak, to … Read more…
14-17 August 2018, Stockholm Life of Breath team members Jane Macnaughton and Andrew Russell will be joined by Anna Harris (Maastricht University) to convene a panel at EASA 2018, the biannual conference of the European Association of Social Anthropologists. The panel, … Read more…
20 March 2018, Stockton-on-Tees Durham team member Andrew Russell visits Cafe Scientifique in Stockton to discuss tobacco. Join him to ponder the place of this humble plant in indigenous communities, its exploitation by capitalism and the consequences for health, and … Read more…
While in Delhi for a recent UN convention on tobacco control, anthropologist Andrew Russell reports on widespread ‘astroturfing’ – large multinationals subsidising apparently independent interest groups to secretly (or not so secretly) push corporate interests. Interference, intimidation, emotional blackmail and … Read more…
What do people with COPD think their lungs look like? Ideas about what is going on inside the body can influence how people present their symptoms and respond to medical treatment. In this study, anthropologist Megan Wainwright asked people with … Read more…
Closing date: 26 January 2018 We’re recruiting! We are seeking a medical anthropologist to join our Durham team on an 18 month contract. We are particularly looking for someone who can contribute to our developing research on the relationship between … Read more…
Life of Breath post-doctoral researcher Rebecca Oxley writes: ‘Breath Lab’ is designed as a living experiment to promote discussion around a central theme relating to breath, breathing and breathlessness. The aim is not to discuss key research findings, but rather … Read more…
5-7 July 2017, Portugal Life of Breath PhD student Fredrik Nyman and Durham anthropologist Christina Dobson are coordinating a panel at the EASA Medical Anthropology Biannual Conference Network Meeting: Bodies in Transition — Power, Knowledge and Medical Anthropology The panel, … Read more…
Dr Megan Wainwright is an international collaborator on the Life of Breath project. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town (Division of Social and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health and Family Medicine), and an … Read more…
The header photograph was taken by Paul Waine, and shows Bev Wears of the British Lung Foundation and Rebecca Oxley, post-doctoral researcher on the Life of Breath. Paul is a member of Breathe Easy Durham Dales, and has written a poem … Read more…
This is the second of a series of responses to the British Lung Foundation‘s Battle for Breath report. Join us on Twitter to discuss the issues, Thursday 24 November 2016, 12:00GMT #breathreport. Researcher Rebecca Oxley considers what insights anthropology can offer: The British Lung … Read more…
Durham team members Rebecca Oxley and Jane Macnaughton argue that, in order to treat breathlessness more effectively, we need a greater understanding of how it feels to be breathless and how this experience may be communicated. In particular they explore the differences between the way … Read more…
This post is the first of a series on vaping and vape tricks by Rebecca Oxley, post-doctoral researcher in anthropology on the Life of Breath project. Rebecca is currently looking for people to share their stories about living with breathlessness. E-cigarettes can make the breath … Read more…
Would you like to join the Durham Life of Breath project team? We are inviting medical humanities PhD proposals which address either of the following topics Stigma and/or stereotypes in relation to breathing, breathlessness and/or lung disease Engaging with Life … Read more…
Rebecca Oxley, post-doctoral research fellow on the Life of Breath project, writes about the recent project launch in Durham (see Making the invisible visible (1): Life of Breath officially launched its programme of work in Durham this week by offering a … Read more…
Jess Farr-Cox (Project Manager, Bristol) writes: Our recent official launch of the project was in many ways a model of interdisciplinarity.[1] The team is diverse and large, which gives us a richness of perspective, but also creates difficulties in how … Read more…
Project Manager (Bristol) for Life of Breath Jess Farr-Cox writes: The second Breathing Space meeting (see ‘Taking a deep breath’ for an account of the first meeting in October 2014) took place on January 21st 2015, in Friends House, London. After tea, … Read more…