My own description: This is a strange one, part poetic allegory, part interview.

Mwenza Blell is a NUAcT Fellow in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.
Mwenza is a biosocial medical anthropologist. She has worked on a range of projects using qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate health, reproduction, and technology in the UK, the Nordic region, Latin America, South Asia, and East Africa. Her research draws from in-depth ethnography to examine intransigent and often invisible structures of injustice.

Series Description

The Surviving Society team are extremely excited to present #TheSpotlightSeries. In these episodes Chantelle and Tissot take a step back from the mic and handover to both local and global academics, researchers, and community organizers. The Spotlight series continues with the themes from the original Surviving Society podcast focused on race, class, anti- racism and social movements.

Episode Description

Guest hosts:

Mwenza Blell: Mwenza is a biosocial anthropologist. She is currently a Rutherford Fellow affiliated to Health Data Research UK, a Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow, and a Grant Researcher at Tampere University. Her research draws from ethnography to examine intransigent and often invisible structures of injustice. She is interested in how subjective experience, socio-political structures and technologies, cultural meaning-making, and human biology interrelate to produce states of well-being and ill-being, with a view to understanding mechanisms underpinning both suffering and flourishing.

Furaha Asani: Furaha is a mental health advocate, teacher, writer, precarious migrant, and a researcher with a PhD in Infection and Immunity. Her research passions lie in bioethics, liberatory STEM pedagogy, and anything that amplifies the message that no human being is ‘illegal’. Her writing focuses on social justice and equity in healthcare, higher education, and science in pop culture. Furaha loves red lipstick, going to afternoon movies by herself, going for walks, and collecting pineapple ornaments.

LOCKDOWN SPECIAL: An accidental how-to for creating value in your community during lockdown from Dr Mwenza Blell. Spoilers: Respect everyone, give them cake and leave 20 hazelnut yogurts in a phone box.
#feminism #buddhism #lockdown #covid #community #buddha #inspiration

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

This week, we’re chatting with Newcastle-based community organiser and anthropologist Dr Mwenza Blell (she/her). Mwenza has been working with people from across the West End to organise mutual aid during the pandemic. In part one, we talk about her experiences of community organising during Covid, the long-term importance of mutual aid, and whether it’s safe to store yoghurt outdoors during summertime! We had a great time recording this episode, and hope it warms your heart well into the new year!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

PART TWO of our conversation with Mwenza is here at last! This week we're talking about much of the same, with a further focus on how society and the education system fucks with your brain. Huge thanks to Mwenza again for her time and insights. In a way, this episode healed us.