Ataya: HUMA Interdisciplinary Seminar Series
Project/Paper: Please read ‘Accessibility 40 years after Alma-Ata’ from Hospital 21. Breathing new life in the 21st century hospital, edited by R. Bologna and T. Schinko, and published by TESIS (2020). Paper made available with the kind permission of the author.
Bio: Josiane Tantchou holds a PhD in social anthropology and ethnology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. She is currently a research fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), France. Her current research focuses on the perception of space and the agency of the built environment
Topic: In September 1978, a conference jointly organised by UNICEF and WHO was held in Alma-Ata (former USSR) to find ways to respond to the “catastrophic state” of African health systems (Brisset, 1978). Following this conference, the World Assembly of the World Health Organization adopted the strategy of “primary health care”. Accessibility was one of the five core principles of primary health care. The overall objective to achieve was “Health for all in the year 2000”. The primary health care initiative has been the subject of many comments and critics, especially targeting the organisation of health systems, the roles of health providers and communities, traditional medicine, the cost and quality of care, etc. However, it is worth noticing that the literature barely considers the physical space and buildings that “clothe” (Kellert & Heerwagen, 2013) healthcare practises.
My paper deals with the issue of accessibility in the context of Alma-Ata and thereafter by focusing on the buildings and layout of spaces of care. I pay special attention to infrastructure (roads) and architectural features considered direct factors of accessibility: doors and gates. Considering the design of doors and their uses in particular, I argue that they transform the privacy of the doctor-patient interaction into a projected form of interaction that will remain a difficult ideal to achieve. My purpose is to highlight how the built environment configures interactions in hospital settings.
How Ataya works: One presenter and their work – in exchange with the audience. Each Ataya session engages with selected work by the presenter (a text, artwork, performance, even food). The presenter introduces their work and grounds the subsequent discussion with the participants. For best engagement, we recommend participants to view the work (made available in advance on our website) before the session. More on the Ataya Series
