Silk Roads: Place and space in alcohol, tobacco and other drug use 

Society for Applied Anthropology Meeting Albuquerque, NM, March 18-22, 2014 

Co-organizers: Juliet P. Lee and Tazin Karim

Space is an important element to consider in  the anthropology of Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco. For example, electronic media are increasing our capacities to synchronically link across space. In this new landscape, individuals have carved out spaces to exchange ideas and experiences with Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco Use. Some have even leveraged these technologies to exchange drugs themselves. How have traditional conceptions of “space” transformed in modern times in the context of drug use? What are the implications for research, education, and prevention? We invite papers that consider the issue of “place,” broadly conceived, as a frame of reference for drug users (clinics; neighborhoods; nationalities); or for drug use (settings; use contexts); as nodes or destinations in trans- or multi-local studies; de-centered or placeless spaces of consumption and exchange; or symbolic uses of place in drug studies.

Topics could include:

1. Online drug forums
2. Social media and drug use
3. The transportation of drugs across borders
4. Varying meanings of drugs across spaces
5. Places of risk & pleasure
6. The country and the city in drug use studies
7. Drug use at the crossroads: “Intersectionality” in ATOD studies

Please send 250-word abstract to Juliet P. Lee (jlee@prev.org) by October 12, 2013

We will notify you of acceptance by October 14 so you will have time to submit individually if necessary. We look forward to your contributions!