Panel 112: The Struggle for Everyday Life in Contexts of Uncertainty

Repeated images of collapse and chaos - generally related to civil wars, man-made or natural disasters - reveal a skewed tendency in the “othering” of Africa. While the above mentioned events should not be played down, we want to challenge stereotypical representations of Africa as a continent where people deal with crises in illogic and irrational ways.

Therefore, in this panel we intend to explore the (re)creation of daily routines through diverse narratives, everyday experiences and practices. What we have in mind are situations where routines, which are taken for granted become contested or disrupted, such as is the case, for instance, in civil wars, disasters, mass migration, or in refugee camps and in slums. Research on practices based on lived experiences, but also on imaginations of upcoming threatening events might illustrate how communities deal with uncertainty, anticipate the future, tame crises and assign meaning to unclear situations. In particular, we invite papers that present empirical studies and/or focus on theoretical perspectives regarding questions like the following:

· How is continuity achieved and/or imagined by means of routinization in unstable periods?

· What kind of relationship exists between the perception of uncertainty and routinization?

· How are daily routines shaped by, and how do they generate, in turn, certain dominant narratives, experiences and actions in times of uncertainty?

· What role does improvisation play in establishing routines?

· Which conditions lead to apathy or creativity in uncertain contexts?