Abstract

The last six years have been defined by “big events” in which major socio-political, environmental, or economic conditions occurred, creating social instability and deepening precarity for those on the margins. Yet preparedness and response strategies designed to protect populations during these events fail to account for those most at risk. In this talk, I draw on critical discourse analysis to discuss the meaning of marginality and the practice of invisibilizing populations to explore protection during emergencies and what the gaps reveal about perceptions of worthiness.

Short Bio

Alexandra Collins is a medical social scientist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health at Tufts University. She completed her MSc and PhD in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Her qualitative and ethnographic research examines social, structural, and environmental factors that impact structurally vulnerable populations who use drugs and how these shape drug use practices, social harms, and service access. Her current research is focused on overdose prevention and response approaches, and examining policy impacts on drug use and service outcomes.

What is an AIAS Seminar?

The AIAS Seminar Series is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellows, AIAS Visiting or Tandem Fellows or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, a fellow will present and discuss her/his current research and work-in-progress to an interdisciplinary audience for 30 minutes, closing off with 30 minutes for questions, comments and discussion.

All seminars are in-person and held in English. To attend online, please contact us at info@aias.au.dk by 9:00am on the day of the seminar as the latest to request a link.