AFTER THE END
Interdisciplinary approaches to lived experiences in the aftermaths of crises in global health
When global outbreaks of disease are declared ‘over’, what, when and for whom is an end ‘the end’ - and what happens afterwards?
How do declarations of ends shape personal experiences of crises, ongoing access to care, health and obligations?
ABOUT THE PROJECT
We are a unique group of academics from different backgrounds, collaborating to explore shared experiences that are often hard to narrate because clear endings are unavailable. Our work examines the types of real-world issues that many people grapple with daily. Experiences of ‘after the end’ have informed our investigations of: ongoing experiences of epidemics and environmental disasters after official declarations of endings; living in environments where medicines are no longer available or accessible; trauma recovery; the impact of legal endings; and waiting for ends that never arrive. Discussing what happens ‘after the end’ will provide new, relevant and engaging insights on this crucial and timely issue.
We seek to have a major impact on the care, attention and time given to the most marginalised by focusing on the people, places, processes and policies that accompany crises and how time and endings are felt during and after.
THEMES
THEMES
The difficulty in discerning a definitive end is not particular to one disease outbreak or environmental disaster, location or community. Rather the lack of a clear end reveals the problematic and differing facets, versions, meanings and power dynamics attached to endings. We seek to explore themes related to time such as the role of memory, time as an instrument of power and different experiences and concepts of time.
focus areas
We consider multiple ideas of endings as drawing attention to counter-narratives and lived experiences of continuations, endurance and survival in contexts where disasters, infectious disease outbreaks and environmental events still shape the existence of many even after they have been declared officially over.
This multi-method project is organised around four theoretically informed interconnected areas of research exploring the end and endings; after the end, future times, and connecting times.
after the end
poetry
We celebrated National Poetry Day on 3rd October 2024 with a poem written by award-winning poet and one of our poetry competition judges, Jenny Mitchell, which you can read on our News page.
The After the End poetry competition 2024 is now closed. The winners will be announced on the After the End website on 1st November.
Entries are currently being reviewed by our wonderful judging panel including award-winning poet Jenny Mitchell, literary agent Salma Begum, University of Exeter’s director of Liberal Arts Dr Michael Flexer and After the End researcher and Professor of Modern Literature and Medical Humanities Laura Salisbury.
This poetry competition invited creative responses from poets that critically engage with ideas of time and temporality and the question of who gets to say that something has ended.
The competition invited work from poets at every stage of their writing careers, recognising previously unpublished newcomers, established names, and emerging talents.
Poems were welcomed on any issue related to themes of time, temporality and endings and in any style.
The After the End Poetry Competition offers to winners a first prize of £750, second and third place winners will be offered £125 each. All three winners will be published on the After the End website, and poems may be shared on media channels connected to the After the End project.
