Why microbes matter to social science

Drawing on recent research in social practice, this lecture addresses fundamental questions about how bacteria and viruses evolve and what this means for contemporary social life.

The lecture will map out a sequence of ideas and propositions about how to approach these questions, illustrated with examples including the recent history of water infrastructures; accounts of the plague and how it spread; the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance; trends in body mass and diet, and the geographies of air pollution.

The result is an account of how people and microscopic matter interact and intermingle, and of how differences and inequalities are reproduced. In bringing these pieces together, the lecture demonstrates the power of a sociological imagination and the potential for developing new ways of thinking about the microscopic materials of which we are made and with which we share our lives.

Distinguished Professor Elizabeth Shove (Lancaster University)

Doors open at 5:45pm.

Note:

This talk is part of the annual Andrew J Webster Lecture on Science, Technology and Society.

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