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

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

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

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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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