Tom Cunningham (University of Edinburgh)
| Dates: | 4 March 2024 |
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| Times: | 16:00 - 18:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Social Sciences |
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Tom Cunningham: ‘Deaths of Despair’ in contemporary Britain, close-up: An ethnographic perspective from the margins, arguably. ??
In recent years economists and sociologists working in the fields of public health and population studies have identified an accelerating health crisis at the bottom of the class structure within the rich countries of North America and Western Europe. In these countries the asset-rich enjoy greater wealth and health, but among the most disadvantaged deaths due to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol dependency are rising, in some cases dramatically, a trend captured by Case and Deaton’s term ‘deaths of despair’. The UK in general, and Scotland in particular, is no exception to this trend. This paper offers an ethnographic perspective to the ‘deaths of despair’ scholarship, where the emphasis has tended to be numerical and statistical. It is based on my experience working as a response police officer working in a city where economic inequality is especially pronounced, and where dealing with a ‘death of despair’ is a regular duty. ?
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2.016/017 2nd Floor Boardroom
Arthur Lewis Building
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