[Iris] Invitation: APSE talk by Igor Grabovac & accompanying reading circle

Dear all, we warmly invite you to the next APSE (Applied Philosophy of Science and Epistemology) lecture and to the accompanying Reading Cycle. The talk will be held by Igor Grabovac (MedUni Wien). Title: From Pandoras Box to Pandoras Hope: Opening the Lid on Transdisciplinary Work in Public Health Date: Thursday, January 30th 2025 Reading Circle: 1pm - 3pm Talk: 3pm - 5 pm Location: Room 3A, NIG Abstract of the talk (3-5 PM): Climate change, armed conflicts, rising inequities, pandemics, and the displacement of large population groups constitute some of the most pressing current concerns for the discipline of Public Health. These complex issues require intersectional analyses and solutions--and a turn to transdisciplinary research. This need is commonly voiced in Public Health literature and increasingly enacted through funding calls and commissions. In this talk, I want to show how the over-reliance on biomedical knowledge and its accompanying reductionism has left Public Health not only "de-socialized," but current attempts to "add in" social science knowledge--as one pathway for transdisciplinarity--often fall short of the promise to transcend disciplinary boundaries and create more suitable types of knowledge. Starting with the work of John Ryle, Julius Tandler, and Andrija Stampar, I will provide a short overview of the historical development of Public Health and its separation from the field of Social Medicine. Using the examples of Michael Marmot and Camara Phyllis Jones on the "Social Determinants of Health," I will then present the changes in the field in its move towards structural explanations of health inequalities. Finally, I end on the work of Emily Yates-Doerr and her critique of the pervasive "determinants model," showcasing the potential, affordances, and demands of true transdisciplinarity in Public Health today. Reading Circle (1-3 PM): We will focus our discussion on a text by Paul Farmer (attached pdf): Farmer, P. (1996) 'On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View from Below', Daedalus (Cambridge, Mass.), 125(1), pp. 261-283. As introduction to the field, we suggest: Farmer, P.E. et al. (2006) 'Structural violence and clinical medicine', PLoS medicine, 3(10), pp. 1686-1691. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030449. For further reading regarding the topic: Especially Research by Grabovac and colleagues: Carmichael, C. et al. (2023) 'Barriers and facilitators to health care access for people experiencing homelessness in four European countries: an exploratory qualitative study', International journal for equity in health, 22(1), pp. 1-206. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-02011-4. Chapter 11: "Making Up People" Ian Hacking (pp. 161-171): Biagioli, M. (1999) The science studies reader. New York, NY [u.a.]: Routledge. Jones, C. (2000) 'Levels of racism: a theoretic framework and a gardener's tale', American journal of public health (1971), 90(8), pp. 1212-1215. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.8.1212. Please send a quick message to vinzenz.fischer(a)univie.ac.at if you are planning to attend the Reading Cycle! Feel free to bring your lunch! Feel free to share this invitation with anyone who might be interested! Best wishes, Ella Berger (on behalf of the APSE unit) -- Ella Berger (she/her or they/them) Department of Philosophy University of Vienna