WWNA talk on ‘The power of isolation’

Dace Dzenovska will speak at the Why the World Needs Anthropologists annual symposium dedicated to the theme of isolation. The symposium is a satellite event of the European Association of Social Anthropologists’ (EASA) Applied Anthropology Network. It will take place 27-29 October 2023 on the Croatian island of Brač.

The organisers describe the event as follows:

“A symposium that explores the different applications of anthropology beyond traditional academia. At the eleventh edition, The Power of Isolation, we aim to create a collective movement to confront some of the most pressing and challenging global issues of our time.

The eleventh edition of our international symposium will be held on the island of Brač in Croatia. It will raise the question of what it means to be isolated. Through lectures and workshops by people who have experienced and explored isolated spaces and communities, the symposium will highlight how isolation affects the human experience. The event will present isolation as an ambiguous concept. In some contexts, isolation can negatively impact demographics and worsen everyday life in urban and rural areas. On the other hand, in times of digitalisation and hyperconsumption, people often experience information overload and, more than in the past, seek isolated spaces to be inspired, live a meaningful life, identify new values, and find better perspectives for themselves.

In addition, symposium attendees will have the opportunity to experience isolation firsthand by turning off their communication devices, such as smartphones and laptops. No social media, no posting, no selfies. What happens on the island stays on the island – for three days.

Do you dare to come?”

See here for more information.