Political ecologists have considered the sociomateriality of diverse hybrids and the metabolism and circulation of urban flows such as water, food and waste. Adding alcohol to this list enhances our understanding of the geography of alcohol as well as the theory of sociomateriality. Viewing alcohol as a sociomaterial hybrid draws attention to the power-laden, dynamic processes which shape its flow, rather than considering it as already in place. Additionally, my examination of alcohol calls attention to aspects of sociomateriality which are widely relevant but underexplored in the literature: the role of friction in shaping flows; the need to examine microscale impacts of sociomateriality on the body and community; and the conditional impacts of complex, unpredictable sociomaterial hybrids. I use a case study of alcohol in Cape Town to examine how alcohol flows, encounters friction, flows over boundaries and shapes sociability and harm in complex, indeterminate ways.
Lawhon, M., & Herrick, C. (2013). Alcohol Control in the News: The Politics of Media Representations of Alcohol Policy in South Africa: Table 1. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 38(5), 987–1021. doi:10.1215/03616878-2334683
Lawhon, M. (2013). Situated, Networked Environmentalisms: A Case for Environmental Theory from the South. Geography Compass, 7(2), 128–138. doi:10.1111/gec3.12027
Lawhon, M., Herrick, C., & Daya, S. (2014). Researching sensitive topics in African cities: reflections on alcohol research in Cape Town. South African Geographical Journal, 96(1), 15–30. doi:10.1080/03736245.2014.896279
