Spaces of Connectivity, Shifting Temporality. Enquiries in Transnational Health

Laurent Pordié (1)

1 CERMES3 - UMR 8211 / U988 / UM 7 - CERMES3 - Centre de recherche Médecine, sciences, santé, santé mentale, société

This article examines the fabric of transnationalism in the health field through the prism of therapeutic travel and the transnational production of medical knowledge and practice. It takes travel, occasional and virtual contacts across international borders to be important forms of transnational encounters. For this purpose, the notion of "space of connectivity" is introduced to highlight the intersections of transnational networks and circuits and the myriad ways space and time deploy themselves. Circulations within these circuits converge in situated nodal points, such as clinics or (virtual) classrooms, where connectivity between geographically mobile and immobile agents intensifies. These nodal points result from the crystallization of transnational social, material and technological formations in a particular place and at a particular moment in time. They are stabilized by motionless actors. By examining spatiality and temporality in these contexts, this article frames this special issue while opening up research avenues in transnational (health) studies.

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie

Laurent Pordié. Spaces of Connectivity, Shifting Temporality. Enquiries in Transnational Health. European Journal of Transnational Studies, 2013, 5 (1), pp.6-26. ⟨hal-01045129⟩