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Sociomateriality of Alcohol: Flows, Friction, and Remnants in South Africa

Explore how alcohol regulatory systems in Cape Town shape drinking patterns and societal norms. This study delves into the complexities of alcohol's influence on urban geography and political ecology, highlighting the interactions between regulations and social practices.

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Sociomateriality of Alcohol: Flows, Friction, and Remnants in South Africa

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  1. The Sociomateriality of Alcohol: Flows, Friction, Lubrication and Remnants Mary Lawhon

  2. Why Alcohol? Catchy/fun topic (and methods- participatory observation) Alcohol studies for alcohol policy How alcohol contributes to the development of theory (with practical implications for later...)

  3. Geographies of alcohol • Growing interest • Many use location as boundary, not place as analytical lens • Typical emphases on alcohol is already in place • I ask: how did it get there?

  4. Political ecology • Urban political ecology (Swyngedouw, Heynen, Kaika) • Metabolism, circulation and flows • Power, distribution, contestation • (Socio)Materiality (Castree, Bakker, Bridge) • Hybridity • Networks • Normative Goal: more equitable access (to resources)

  5. What can alcohol contribute? • Alcohol is similar in many ways, BUT: • Ambiguous normativity: more/just access is not (necessarily) the goal • In addition to metabolism & flows... • Micro-scale materiality • Friction, lubrication, remnants

  6. Context:Alcohol in SA/Cape Town • History of contestation over drinking • Many non-drinkers; many high risk drinkers • Racialized drinking patterns • (but also class, location, religion, gender, etc) • Western Cape and City of Cape Town recent regulation- draws our attention to contestation

  7. Flows...

  8. Much more interesting is what inhibits the flows Friction: built environment

  9. Friction: Regulation • Long history of regulating access, esp for black people/communities • Regulation of: • space: no drinking on the beach; in trains • standards: need to apply for permits (toilets, seats, space) • hours of operation

  10. Friction: Identity, values, norms

  11. But the flows carry on... Agents actively lubricate the flows And leave behind unintended remnants

  12. So What? Cannot simply regulate flow by adding friction • Instead, need to understand the micro-scale sociomateriality of alcohol and how it relates to harm Implications for other sociomaterial hybrid research: • Need to understand flows and friction, lubrication, remnants • Who controls these processes and why

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