“Researching 'Drunkenness, Compulsion and the Disintegration of the Self: Erasmus Darwin’s Theory of Ebrietas in the Writings of Maria Edgeworth.’” Women and Alcohol cluster seminar

 

Women and Alcohol Research Cluster is delighted to announce our next online seminar 

“Researching 'Drunkenness, Compulsion and the Disintegration of the Self: Erasmus Darwin’s Theory of Ebrietas in the Writings of Maria Edgeworth.’”

 

It will take place on 10 November 2022 at 12.00 midday UK time online (zoom - link to be circulated)

(e-mail us dsnwomencluster@gmail.com to register)

Programme:

dr Lucy Cogan (University of Galway)  “Researching 'Drunkenness, Compulsion and the Disintegration of the Self: Erasmus Darwin’s Theory of Ebrietas in the Writings of Maria Edgeworth.’”

It has long been acknowledged that the depictions of debauched lords in Maria Edgeworth’s writings on the eighteenth-century Irish elite are soaked in references to alcohol. However, until now little attention has been paid to the distinctly medical understanding of the harms caused by alcohol that characterises these works. For the first time, this essay draws out the influence of Erasmus Darwin’s theory of ebrietas on Edgeworth’s portrayal of the issues surrounding alcohol among her class and considers how she adapts Darwin’s ideas to the Irish context, where concerns around drunkenness cut across charged ideas of sectarian identity, class and political power. 

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'Online Alcohol Recovery & Sobriety Groups' Women and Alcohol & SAM cluster seminar

 
Women and Alcohol Research Cluster  in collaboration with the Sobriety, Abstinence and Moderation cluster (SAM) are delighted to announce our next online seminar 

'Online Alcohol Recovery & Sobriety Groups' 

It will take place on Thursday 30 June 2022 at 12.00 midday GMT on Zoom

(e-mail us dsnwomencluster@gmail.com to register)

Programme:

Sally Sanger, University of Sheffield

Women and online alcohol recovery groups: conformity and empowerment 

Sally will explore gender-related findings from a study of alcohol online recovery support groups. She will draw on an analysis of forum posts and interviews to discuss users' (sometimes surprising) assumptions about gender in the groups. The talk will touch on issues such as motherhood, female ageing, and society’s view of female drinking, and will speculate as to why online alcohol support groups seem to attract so many women. 

 

Claire Davey, Canterbury Christ Church University

‘Goodbye mindless drinking and hello mindful living’: Sobriety as gendered self-care?  

Claire will share some of her emerging research findings and explore how contemporary sober women, within online sobriety communities, reframe their sobriety as a form of self-care, and position sobriety as a tool for their health, development, and empowerment. This presentation will tease out some of the connections between feminism, gender and self-care, through the lens of sobriety, and draw from a variety of sources, including posts from social media platforms, observational data, and interview transcripts.  

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