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

Outreach activities 2024

From 15 to 31 January 2024 in the foyer of the Catalunya campus library, MAUMIS students exhibited their posters produced in the course "Postindustrialisme, globalització i espai urbà" (Postindustrialism, globalisation and urban space).

In this activity, the students put into practice the set of theoretical and ethnographic resources seen during the course to address the processes of transformation and production of urban space in the context of late capitalism. These dynamics of change are often structured in international economic and social flows that impact on the cultural dynamics of regions, interconnecting realities and deepening the complexities that these enclaves sustain.

Organised by the University Master in Urban Anthropology, Migrations and Social Intervention, a lecture by Dr. Andrea Boscoboinik from the University of Friburg (Switzerland) was held on 14th February, focusing on the Swiss Alps where, like other parts of the world, mountain landscapes have become ideal places to live, particularly for people from the cities in flat areas. Today, the mountains, like other non-urban areas, are attracting an increasing number of people in search of tranquillity, fresh air, nature and a lifestyle different from the urban one. New mobile lifestyles and lifestyle migrations are encouraging a new type of population to visit or settle in peripheral regions. Thus, the mountains today host a vast range of residents, permanent or temporary, differing in motivations, origins, resources and wealth.

This series of lectures -organized as an activity of the Master's in Innovation in Social and Educational Intervention- had three sessions (February 16 and 23, and March 15) and with the participation of Carme García Yeste, Roxana Yzusqui, Marina Claverías, Sandra Girbés Peco and Aurora Séaz, all professionals from different institutions involved in the territory.

Series of lectures scheduled for the following dates: 21/02, 3/04, 17/04, 15/05 and 22/05 of 2024, with the participation of Miguel Pajares, Jerôme Ferret, Yolanda Bodoque, Oriol Puig and Dan Rodríguez.

On February 22, 2024 a welcome day was held for new doctoral fellows of the Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work.

We met to get to know each other and inform them of resources that may be useful during their period at DAFiTS. Information was shared about courses, grants, academic career assessment criteria, etc. In addition, their doubts and suggestions were heard.

On 29 February, monographic number 4 of the History of Social Work collection was presented: "Les escoles de treball social a Catalunya (1932-2009), un viatge a través de la formació".

The work is promoted by the Seminari Permanent d'Història del Col·legi and prepared by ten professors from six schools of Social Work that have existed in Catalonia, among which we count Dr Ramona Torrens. In the book we find the origins and evolution of each school, its vision of training and the connection with the professional and social world.

Dr María Isabel Jociles Rubio (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) presented the session entitled "Comités y reflexiones de bioética: ¿cuidado/vigilancia de la ética de la investigación o clausura/censura teórico-metodológica?", which was coordinated by Fernando Vidal and Blanca Deusdad (URV), and held on March 5, 2024.

Based on the experiences that have emerged in the course of a research focused on families who have resorted to Assisted Reproduction Techniques with the intervention of Third Parties (including, in this case, Surrogate Mothers), different issues related to the ethics of ethnographic research are addressed: how to proceed with data protection in the case of the use of qualitative research techniques, how to deal with parents' precautions about their children's participation in ethnographic research, how to respect/"collect" the point of view of children (mainly, but not exclusively, minors), how to dissociate oneself from "official" discourses on the phenomenon studied, especially, but not only, when these discourses stigmatise the group with which the research is to be carried out, etc. At the same time, based on the relationship maintained by the research team of the project "Reproductive governance in Spain: Perspectives of/on the children of TRA-D families (TRA-D children)" with a bioethics committee in charge of evaluating the project presented, the role of these committees in the design of ethnographic research and its derivations is reflected.

Last Thursday, March 7, the Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work organized a tribute to Carmina Puig because of her retirement.

The event was conducted by professors Eva Zafra Aparici, Cristina García Moreno and Claudia Anleu-Hernández, all colleagues of the honoree. The event began with the interventions of the DAFiTS director, Montserrat Soronellas, followed by Maria Victòria Forns as coordinator of the degree in Social Work, and Antoni M. Jordà, former dean of the Faculty of Legal Sciences.

Subsequently, a round table was held, with the presence of Joan Josep Pujadas, Josep M. Comelles, Blanca Deusdad (all three from DAFiTS), Carme Fernández Ges (Ramon Llull University), Rosa Garriga Blasco (supervisor) and Conchita Peña Gallardo (College of Social Work of Catalonia). The event was closed by Carmina Puig.

On Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at the Arxiu d'Etnografia of Catalonia (Room 521 of the Catalunya campus) took place the lecture on Multimodal Anthropology and the screening of the documentary "It was tomorrow", with the participation of the author and anthropologist Dra Alexandra D'Onofrio (Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology / University of Manchester).

On Wednesday, March 13, Publicacions de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili and the Dharma-Gaia Foundation presented the book "Estudios budistas en América Latina y España", edited by Jaume Vallverdú and Daniel Millet. The authors detailed the history of the project and presented its general content.

In addition, the presentation was attended by Francisco Díez de Velasco, from the Universidad de La Laguna, and Catón Carini, from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Both were responsible for presenting the current situation of Buddhist studies in Spain and Argentina.

On Wednesday, March 13, in the Sala de Graus of campus Catalunya took place the presentation of the latest book by Joan Prat i Carós, entitled "La seducción de la Antropología". The author was accompanied by two of his colleagues and disciples, Yolanda Bodoque Puerta and Jordi Roca Girona, and a very large audience.

The Faculty of Legal Sciences, the URV's Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work, the Terres de l'Ebre and Tarragona delegations of the College of Social Work organised the XVII World Social Work Day entitled "Les violències sexuals contra la infància i l'adolescència", which took place on 14 March in the Aula Magna of the URV's Catalunya campus.

The sexual abuse of minors is a social problem, which affects the most vulnerable members of the population. We aimed to debate and make visible its dimension, processes that affect victims and their environment, and the role of Social Work in assessment, intervention and action.

From March 18 to 21, 2024, the week of the Doctoral Programme on Anthropology and Communication was held. With presentations by consolidated research staff and young researchers in training, it was a week rich in debates.

On April 17, Dra Ana Josefina Cuevas Hernández, from the University of Colima (Mexico) presented this conference organized within the cycle of training activities 2023-24 of the Doctoral Programme in Social Work.

This third session of the Social Anthropology Group Workshop, entitled "Digressions, disrupcions i resistències en salut mental", took place in the Arxiu d'Etnografia of the Catalunya campus on April 25. On this occasion, the presentations were given by Eloísa de Lima (Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the UFOP, Brazil) and Elena Blanco De Tena and Martín Correa Urquiza. Prof. de Lima presented her work on the health profile of high school students in the Brazilian city of Ouro Preto. Elena Blanco and Martín Correa talked about Arxiu Boig!, a project that seeks to preserve, recognize and make visible the intangible heritage linked to the Mad Movement in Catalonia.

On Friday 26 April 2024 at the Aula Magna of the URV, the workshop on Roma culture in Tarragona was held, with the collaboration of different representatives of the city's Roma community and cultural associations. The event, organised in collaboration with the URV, Tarragona City Council, the Tarragona Municipal Institute of Social Services and the ITA, finalized with a flamenco performance from the group Alboreà.

On May 10 at the Catalunya campus, Eva Miralles Siré (pre-doctoral fellow of the Doctoral Program in Social Work - DAFiTS), Manoli Villarino (co-founder of Associació Famílies Abusos Sexuals Infantils Tarragona - AFASIT), Natàlia Olivera and Teresa Bitrià (technicians of the municipal toy library of Lleida) presented their experiences on prevention and intervention around violence against children.

The “International Workshop on Masculinities: Tensions, Openings and Future Challenges” was held on 15-16 May 2024 at the Catalunya campus. The main objective of this gathering was to promote an interdisciplinary debate on the subject of masculinities. To this end, we had the collaboration of experts from the academic, associative and activist worlds.

On Wednesday 5 June, Georgia Casanova, from the National Institute of Care for the Elderly (Research Centre on Ageing, Italy) proposed this methodological workshop as an activity of the Joint University Doctoral Programme in Social Work.

“Social inequalities, networks and health” was the main theme to promote the debates and analysis of the VIII editiomn of the Medical Anthropology Research Center Colloquium, held between 5 and 7 June at Catalunya campus (URV) with more than a hundred people in attendance. Professors and researchers from different universities discussed and analysed the impact of poverty and social inequalities on health, the role of social movements, as well as strategies to account for these intersections. Two lectures were also given by renowned experts in the field, Jaime Breilh and Seth Holmes. The meeting also served as a framework for the meeting of the Medical and Health Anthropology Network of the Spanish Anthropology Association (ASAEE).

On Wednesday 12 June, the closing workshop of MAUMIS 2024 “Neo-colonial Scenarios” was held at the Arxiu d'Etnografia de Catalunya. Organised by the Department of Anthropology, Philosophy and Social Work, and the Master in Urban Anthropology, Migrations and Social Intervention, and with the collaboration of the Faculty of Arts, with the participation of Aurora Álvarez Veinguer (UGR), Teresa Habimana (UAB-CED) and Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio (UCM). In the afternoon, the students of the MAUMIS class of 2022-24 presented their Master's Final Projects.

On 13 and 14 June, the URV hosted the international conference “Legal challenges and care for children and women victims of violence: the Barnahus model, pre-constituted evidence and the protection of victims of femicide”. The conference brought together more than 150 experts from different countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia to debate and propose improvements in the care of victims and their social environments.

On Monday 17th June at the Arxiu d'Etnografia de Catalunya took place the presentation of the book "Morts sense terra, cossos sense repòs. Història de la gestió funerària entre els marroquins a Catalunya", by Jordi Moreras. The presentation was given by Dr Joan Josep Pujadas.

This workshop, organized by the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with the Medical

Anthropology Research Center (MARC-URV), will bring together scholars and researchers to discuss the intersections between psychiatry and primitivism from a historical and anthropological perspective during two days (June 20-21, campus Catalunya)

Based on these historical and anthropological discussions, this workshop will seek to address the following questions:

  1. How have psy-interventions and global mental health reproduced colonial legacies and enacted primitivist representations of otherness in different contexts?
  2. How has psy-research reproduced colonial legacies and enacted primitivist representations of otherness in post-colonial times?
  3. How have the entanglements between psy-disciplines and genomics re-defined our understanding of the human mind and mental disorders and impacted at individual and community levels?
  4. How have psychiatry and primitivist representations interacted with ideologies and nation-state projects in (post)colonial times in different contexts?

On 5-6 September 2024, the second edition of the International Conference on “Care for the Elderly and Dependent People” was held at the URV's Catalonia campus. The aim of the meeting was to determine how to improve the current care model. With nearly a hundred participants, the conference brought together researchers from national and international universities specialising in the care of the elderly, health professionals who focus their careers on geriatric care and representatives of social movements committed socially and politically to improving the current model of care.

On 26 September 2024, at the classroom Arxiu of the Catalunya campus, Dr. Jordi Moreras and Dr. Fadhila Mammar presented and exchanged with Dr. Carlos Giménez about his experience in community action projects.

With the subtitle 'Una conversación sobre cuidados digitales entre Catalunya, Brasil e Italia', on 4 October 2024 at the classroom Arxiu of the Catalunya campus, digital care was debated. Moderated by Giulia Campaioli (URV), the participants Fembloc, Rede Transfeminista de Cuidados Digitais i Silvia Semenzin (UCM) exchanged about their experiences.

The first (online) session of this seminar, entitled 'An academic in an activist coalition: recongizing and bridging role conflicts', was held on 15 October 2024. The session featured Dr Josiah Heyman, Professor of Anthropology and Director of UTEP's Center for Inter-American and Border Studies.

Professor Heyman is known for his public engagement with and for border communities. His current work addresses migration and human rights on the US-Mexico border and water sustainability in the binational Paso del Norte region.

As it has been the case for a few years, one of the activities of the INFIFEST (Indigenous Film Festival) was held at the Rovira i Virgili University. This event is a great opportunity to learn, through film, about the struggles and resistance of indigenous peoples in defense of their territories and the sustainability of life. On this occasion, the following short films were screened: Guardianas del lago i Huexca en resistència

We could also enjoy of the debate between Domingo Hernández Ixcoy (Maya K'iche', Guatemala) and Claudia Anleu Hernández (URV).

The increasingly comprehensive and cross-cutting care of the people being treated makes it necessary to consolidate a space for meeting, sharing, dissemination and discussion of work processes, experiences and the state of the profession. Health social workers are a key element in the link between systems (health, social and community). Their task is to facilitate basic care for the most vulnerable or at-risk groups. This seminar, which was held on 15 November 2024 in the Aula Magna of the Catalonia campus, was of special interest to the health and social professionals and at the same time enriching for other disciplines.

This conference, the result of a joint initiative between Universitat Rovira i Virgili and the National University of Josep C. Paz (Argentina), has as its main objective the promotion of a shared space for reflection and promotion of the gender perspective in health. The session took place on 29 October 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m. (Argentine time) and from 6 to 8 p.m. (Spanish time).

Participating in this meeting were the emeritus professor and coordinator of the Doctorate in Gender Studies: Cultures, Societies and Politics, Dr. Ma. Dolors Comas d'Argemir (URV); Lionel Delgado, PhD in Sociology from the Universitat de Barcelona; Agostina Finelli, coordinator of the Programme for the Implementation of Gender and Sexual Diversity Policies in Health - Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires; Leonel Tesler, director of the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at UNPAZ; and Marcela Belardo, researcher at the IESCODE UNPAZ research institute, and Marcela Belardo, Conicet researcher at UNPAZ.

The III Seminar of the Inter-University Doctorate Programme in Social Work (DITS) was held on 11 - 13 November 2024 at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. The programme involved the universities of Murcia (coordinator), the Public University of Navarra and the URV.

The key speaker, Dr Anna Ramon (Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya), proposed an analysis and theoretical foundation on innovative methodologies used in social science research. PhD students presented the progress of their theses. We were able to learn about their progress, discuss and reflect on diverse and high-impact topics. As a closing presentation, Dr Eva M. Moya (University of Texas at El Paso) delighted us with a seminar on the use of the Photovoice technique applied to Social Work.

This first session of the GAS Seminar, entitled "Family and community strategies for coping with care in situations of ageing", took place in the Arxiu d'Etnografia classroom of the Catalunya campus on 21 November. On this occasion, the presentations were given by Isabella Riccò, Ángel Barreto (PhD student in Sociology at the UNAM in Mexico) and Montserrat Soronellas and Yolanda Bodoque. Dr. Riccò presented the project 'AGORAge: Ageing in a Caring Community' on community care and older people. Ángel Barreto spoke about his current research, focusing on the family dynamics of care for the elderly in Mexico. Finally, Dr. Soronelles and Dr. Bodoque shared the conclusions of their project 'CareModel' on the impact of COVID-19 on the social organisation of care and the transformation of the social care model.

For another year, the IX edition of the Anthropology Week included activities organised by DAFITS-URV and the ITA Association of Anthropology in Tarragona. On this occasion, we had two sessions closely linked to each other:

              Round table 'Resistance and regeneration of rural communities in Catalonia: social movements and migrations, land access alternatives and agroecology', on 28/11/2024, with Gemma Casal Fité (URV, Agrupació de Municipis i EMD's del Pallars Sobirà); Marc González Puente (Association of Rural and Maritime Initiatives of Catalonia ARCA) and Patrícia Homs Ramírez (UB, la Arista Cooperativa). They debated on the regeneration and resilience capacities of rural communities in Catalonia in the face of current social, economic and cultural challenges.

As a complement, a guided visit to two companies that were key to the agro-industrial development of the counties of Segarra and Urgell in the last century was proposed on 30/11/2024.

              Ethnographic outing 'Agri-food markets and agro-industrial development in the county of La Segarra, one hundred years of history', with Marc Verdés Oliva (DAFITS-URV) and Roser Miarnau Pomés (Museu Cal Trepat). First of all, we visited the exhibition 'Societats pageses i alternatives agràries' of the new Museu del Blat de Cervera, located in the old flour mill of the Sindicato Agrícola de Cervera y su Comarca. The outing continued with a visit to the Museu de la Mecanització Agrària Cal Trepat in Tàrrega.