# Event Details - **Event Name**: "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 23 Jun, 2026 at 03:30 pm – Tue, 23 Jun, 2026 at 05:00 pm - **Event Description**: Book Launch: Join the SSN and Nikita Simpson in launching her new book, out in 2026 from Duke University Press.About this EventIn Tension, Nikita Kaur Simpson examines the effects of rapid development in the Himalayas on the minds and bodies of the Gaddi people who inhabit them through attention to the multifaceted state of distress they call “tension.” This “tension” takes many forms: Kamzori, or weakness, in the bodies of elderly women; “Future tension” accumulating in the minds of young girls; or Opara, or black magic, afflicting whole families. Through her long-term ethnographic fieldwork, Simpson follows the ways in which Gaddi people tie this distress to broader structural changes, such as land dispossession and caste, class, tribal and gender inequality, which are growing alongside modernity and prosperity. In doing so, she shows how “tension” acts as an everyday diagnostic of the problems of cultural, economic and environmental change as they shape intimate life. At once a lived historical account, a cartography of care relations, and a multi-sensory exploration of the intimate experiences of atmosphere and body, Tension puts forth a novel theory of distress, that inequality is often determined by who is made to feel, hold, and absorb distress.Praise"This beautifully written book offers a glimpse into how ordinary people in the Indian Himalaya experience economic, social, and political upheaval as an intensification of tension in the domain of everyday life. Simpson’s loving attention to the texture of intimate relationships, the waning and waxing intensity of atmospheric affects, and the multiplicity of somatic orientations to tension is ethnography at its finest."­­ - Radhika Govindrajan, author of Animal Intimacies: Interspecies Relatedness in India’s Central Himalayas“This is ethnography at its finest, showcasing compelling theoretical arguments rooted in the thought and experiences of individuals whose lives Simpson explores in loving detail. The book is a major contribution to medical anthropology, South Asian studies and the study of aging, exemplifying what nuanced attention to materiality, relation, atmosphere, and affect can achieve.” - Lawrence Cohen, author of No Aging in India: Alzheimer's, the Bad Family, and Other Modern Things - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/melbourne/tension-mental-distress-and-embodied-inequality-in-the-western-himalayas/100001988539607496 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, workshops - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes - Location: Deakin Downtown - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: AUD ## Event venue details - **city**: Melbourne - **state**: VI - **country**: Australia - **location**: Deakin Downtown - **lat**: -37.82048899999999 - **long**: 144.9502245 - **full address**: Deakin Downtown, Level 12, Tower 2, Melbourne, Australia ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/ed637eed14c158084245139ea7cbc8a606e642b4e6951b23b98bbcda2c4143e7-rimg-w658-h991-dcfdae18-gmir.jpg?v=1777689931 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" being held? - **A:** "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" takes place on Tue, 23 Jun, 2026 at 03:30 pm to Tue, 23 Jun, 2026 at 05:00 pm at Deakin Downtown, Level 12, Tower 2, Melbourne, Australia. - **Q**: Who is organizing "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas"? - **A:** "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" is organized by Deakin Science and Society Network. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Melbourne, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": ""Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas"", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/ed637eed14c158084245139ea7cbc8a606e642b4e6951b23b98bbcda2c4143e7-rimg-w658-h991-dcfdae18-gmir.jpg?v=1777689931", "startDate": "2026-06-23", "endDate": "2026-06-23", "url": "https://allevents.in/melbourne/tension-mental-distress-and-embodied-inequality-in-the-western-himalayas/100001988539607496", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Deakin Downtown", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "Level 12, Tower 2", "postalCode": "3008", "addressLocality": "Melbourne", "addressRegion": "VI", "addressCountry": "AU" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "-37.82048899999999", "longitude": "144.9502245" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Book Launch: Join the SSN and Nikita Simpson in launching her new book, out in 2026 from Duke University Press.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-08", "availabilityEnds": "2026-06-23", "validFrom": "2026-09-08", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/melbourne/tension-mental-distress-and-embodied-inequality-in-the-western-himalayas/100001988539607496" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/melbourne/tension-mental-distress-and-embodied-inequality-in-the-western-himalayas/100001988539607496", "price": 0, "name": "General Admission (in-person)" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Deakin Science and Society Network", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/deakin-science-and-society-network/17636551", "description": "Climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, food and water security, and global health are among some of humanity’s biggest challenges. 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