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Care and Crisis in India

Simon Fraser University (SFU) Public Square

Past Event

Thursday, Feb 03, 2022
2:30 AM - 7:30 AM (UTC)

Registration Required

Hosts

Simon Fraser University (SFU) Public Square

Languages

English
English

Channels

COVID-19

Virt India

The COVID-19 pandemic in India has seen a valorization of the work that health care providers do, but at the same time, increased violence against them. Health care workers were appreciated by a grateful state and public through symbolic gestures, including everybody clapping hands at a decided time, but they were also being attacked in their neighbourhoods and hospitals. This contradiction is not particular to the present crisis, but is a characteristic of health care in India. Studying the figure of the doctor in the history of health care in India reveals the clinical encounter to be a complex moral and ethical negotiation. The recognition of the importance of a robust health system alongside its vulnerability to violence influences how health and crisis are defined.

— Vaibhav Saria

About the lecturer

Vaibhav Saria received their PhD in Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University in 2014, and is currently assistant professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at SFU. Their book Hijras, Lovers, Brothers: Surviving Sex and Poverty in Rural India was published by Fordham University Press and was awarded the Joseph W. Elder Prize by the American Institute of Indian Studies in 2021. Saria is also a member of QuTUB, an international team of researchers working to advance methodologies to measure and improve the quality of TB care.

A President's Faculty Lecture

The President’s Faculty Lectures shine a light on the research excellence at Simon Fraser University. Hosted by SFU president Joy Johnson, these free public lectures celebrate cutting-edge research and faculty that engage with communities and mobilize knowledge to make real-world impacts.

Each short lecture by an SFU researcher will be followed by a conversation with Joy Johnson and an audience Q&A session livestreamed from the Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

This year, lecturers will approach the themes of equity and justice from a variety of disciplines.

Hosts

Simon Fraser University (SFU) Public Square