Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia
Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work

Outreach activities 2023

On 17 January took place the 10th session entitled " Democratizar los cuidados en salud mental: reflexiones en torno a la gestión colaborativa de la medicación". Co-organised between MARC and ICEERS, and with the participation of DAFiTS and the Doctoral Programme on Anthropology and Communication, Asun Pié Balaguer (UOC) and Mercedes Serrano Miguel (UB) presented the "Guía para la gestión colaborativa de la medicación en salud mental". This tool, previously developed in Canada and Brazil, has been adapted to the Catalan context, based on participatory research led by a team from the URV-UOC.

Two lectures were held: "Neurolépticos para una biopolítica de la indiferencia: El descubrimiento de la clorpromazina" (9 February) and "La gestión psicofarmacológica de la femindad: antispsicóticos para mujeres insumisas" (23 February). Both lectures were presented by Sandra Caponi, Full professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil), Researchr at the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Brazil), and at MARC.

Organised by the DAFiTS, on 24 February 2023 we gathered to enjoy the tribute to the Emeritus professor Dolors Comas d'Argemir.

On 10 March, a conference was held to explain the results of the project "Violències a la infància i discapacitat en entorns educatius a Tarragona", which aims to promote the digitalisation of the intervention of professionals linked to the Tarragona Provincial Council to promote the detection and care of violence affecting children and adolescents. The project coordinators, Nuria Torres and Eva Zafra, the doctoral students Eva Neus Miralles and Sònia Pujol, as well as professionals from different fields took part in the event.

On 16 March, the World Social Work Day was held once again in the Aula Magna of the campus Catalonia of the URV in Tarragona. The workshop, entitled "El treball social a debat: reflexions des de l'acadèmia i la professió", included different lectures pesented by Conchita Peña, Pilar Blanco, and Emiliana Vicente, and a round table where the current situation of Social Services and the challenges for the future were debated. This was followed by a second round table focused on "Treball social a Espanya en el marc dels serveis socials de base" with the participation of Txema Duque, Esther Robles i Tania Luque.

During this session held on 23 March, the project was presented, the objectives and the experience of the team members were shared, and finally, the project first phase actions were planned. The book resulting from the research was also presented: "Hijos e hijas de la violencia de género. Análisis de Casos sobre las Consecuencias del Feminicidio". In addition, Joshua Alonso Mateo and Luz Marina Rodriguez Rodriguez shared their testimonies. Finally, representatives from the Fundación Mujeres and the Fondo de Becas Soledad Cazorla explained their work.

Gerardo Abboud proposed a lecture which took place on 3 May. Gerardo graduated as an engineer and travelled to the East in 1970. He spent 14 years in the Himàlaies of India and Nepal, studying and practising Tibetan Buddhism. He is a translator and in this role, he accompanies his teachers and other lamas on their teaching trips to various countries.

Saturday 6th May the II Social Forum on Care was held at the campus Catalunya of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. The Forum is a citizens' initiative whose mission is to bring together social unrest towards the cure and to achieve the social and political transformation necessary for the recognition of the Right to a Cure [Dret a la Cura] and the creation of a National Cure System. This year's decentralised conference was simultaneously held in Tarragona, Girona, Lleida and Barcelona. 

On Wednesday 17 May, Gustavo Caponi (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil) argued that there is no concept of race which, when applied to Homo sapiens, finds its extension in a group of evolutionarily differentiable lineages. Consequently, from a phylogenetic point of view, human races are a fiction. However, "human races" can come to function as predicates with some degree of epistemic relevance. These "racial predicates" would specify certain physiognomic types that may be meaningful in different contexts of discussion. Most particularly, when it comes to identifying groups and individuals who may find themselves in conditions of vulnerability, or who may become beneficiaries of affirmative action policies.

Moderated by Joan Josep Pujadas (President of the ITA), the new special issue of the journal Arxiu d’Etnografia de Catalunya "Quan la memòria ens interpel·la" was presented on 18 May. Xavier Roigé (UB), Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré (CSIC) and Jordi Moreras (URV) took part in the event.

The challenges brought about by the globalisation of psychoactive plants were the focus of discussions at the VII MARC Colloquium, co-organised this year  with the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS). The meeting took place on 25 and 26 May and was attended by more than a hundred participants during the two conferences and five presentation tables.

On 13 June Dolors Comas d'Argemir and Montserrat Soronellas presented a lecture on the occasion of the completion of their latest project on COVID-19 at the Societat Catalana de Geriatria i Gerontologia.

During this conference entitled "IntervenArt. Art com a eina d'innovació i transformació social", which took place on 9 June, the role that art plays as a tool for innovation and social transformation was analysed. Projects and experiences were presented which, through art, show the potential of research and socio-educational intervention in promoting inclusion and encouraging social commitment.