Reflections on informing the AIDS response (or, How to keep the faith despite everyday assaults on the anthropological soul)
Speaker: Suzanna Leclerc-Madlala, PhD
Date: Tuesday, 3 Feb 2015
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Sumner School
Description:
With the growing concern over new and re-emerging global health threats, anthropologists will increasingly be called upon by agencies such as USAID, CDC, WHO and others to assists with addressing difficult health challenges. Many will likely be feel they are expected to apply anthropological knowledge and insight in ways that seem superficial, devoid of complexity and mostly serve to support activities that an anthropologist thinks are inadequate and likely to have limited success....
Drawing upon her work as the Senior Anthropologist in USAID's Office of HIV and AIDS, Dr. Leclerc-Madlala will talk about issues in navigating regimes of health knowledge and power and being mindful of forces that lead to compromising the anthropological perspective.
Speaker bio:
Dr. Leclerc-Madlala is the Senior Anthropologist in the Office of HIV and AIDS, Global Health Bureau of the US Agency for International Development where she is tasked with imparting and applying anthropological knowledge and methods to inform the work of USAID/PEPFAR on HIV in Africa. She received her PhD from the former Natal University in Durban, South Africa and holds an MA from George Washington University. Dr. Leclerc-Madlala is a member of the US government’s interagency Technical Working Groups for Gender, General Population & Youth and USAID’s Culture & Development Task Team. Beyond her work at USAID Dr. Leclerc-Madlala is also a member of the scientific committee of the International AIDS Society, the Association of Social Sciences & Humanities in AIDS, and a member of WHO’s Ethics in Treatment-as-Prevention Group.
Before joining USAID Dr. Leclerc-Madlala was Professor and Head of the Anthropology Department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and was actively involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of HIV education programs in South Africa and its neighboring countries. Her academic work over many years has focused on the intersections of culture, gender, sexuality and HIV in Southern Africa, especially in relation to young women’s vulnerability and she helped draft the South Africa’s Sexual Offences Act, the Children’s Bill and authored UNAID’s 2009 Action Brief on Inter-generational sex in Southern Africa.
Meeting: Charles Sumner School, corner of 17th St and M St NW, Washington, DC
How to get there: The Sumner School is located at 1201 17th St NW (corner of 17th St and M St NW). The entrance to the meeting area is on 17th St under the black metal stairway. Directions from Metro Red Line: From Farragut North station, take either L St exit, walk one block east to 17th St, turn left and walk 2 blocks north. Enter the building through the double doors under the black metal staircase. MEETING ROOM: Rotating Gallery G-4 (ground floor)
Pre-meeting gathering: Nage
I600 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 448-8005
Nage is located in the Scott Circle Courtyard Marriott on the corner of Rhode Island Ave and 16th St (one short block up from the Beacon). Happy hour is from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. This will be our first time here, so come and let us know what you think.
Directions from Metro Red Line: From Farragut North station, take either L St exit, walk one block east to 17th St, turn left and walk 3 blocks north (past the Sumner School), then turn right on Rhode Island Ave. Nage is at the end of the block facing Scott Circle.
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Click for happy hour information
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