2024 ASAA/NZ Conference: Vital Signs
Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University
Te Papaioea | Palmerston North
21-23 November 2024
The Social Anthropology Programme at Massey University is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the ASAA/NZ annual conference 21-23 November 2024 on our Manawatū campus in Palmerston North.
The theme of this year’s conference is Vital Signs. In emergency medicine, the assessment of vital signs is the first stage in triage, establishing who can continue to wait, who needs to be seen immediately, and who might be on the brink of death. Taking vital signs is an indispensable precursor to all emergency care, no matter how extreme the patient’s situation. In the context of what some have called our global “polycrisis,” as well as a time of general uncertainty for universities in Aotearoa, the conference theme invites us to explore how anthropology can help us expand conversations about the condition of the world.
Vital signs do not, however, just measure a patient's decline: they also index health, vitality, strength, and consequently, hope. Even in times of struggle, it remains important to note where and how life is thriving. We ask participants to consider what anthropology can tell us about the human will to live, adapt, and endure.
Conference registration
Conference registration is open and you can register at this link: https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/colleges-schools-and-institutes/college-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/research-in-the-college-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/vital-signs/
Conference fees
Fees for the 2024 “Vital Signs” conference are as follows:
Student/unwaged: $250 NZD
ASAANZ/AAS member: $350 NZD
Non-member waged: $390
Virtual-only: $120
Single day student/unwaged: $150
Single day regular: $175
For those who attend the meeting in person, we will provide morning and afternoon tea as well as lunch on each of the three days. The Friday evening conference dinner, to be held at the Palmerston North restaurant Arranged Marriage, is optional and costs an additional $50.
If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Andersen B.Andersen1@massey.ac.nz
