“Bad Habits” in Historical Perspective 1750-2000

University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland 5th and 6th September 2024

Regardless of social setting, some behaviours, practices, and actions are considered unacceptable. While some of these might always be thought of as negative, others might be socially, culturally, or temporally contingent. As part of the ERC funded DIASPORA project at the UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland, this two-day workshop explores the idea of “bad habits” and how they have been conceptualised through a medical/health lens over the past two centuries. The way that one moves through the world is inevitably scrutinised by others, whether family, peers, media, police, or the public more widely. By thinking about what is considered agreeable, acceptable, and/or healthy in society, and the foundations for such attitudes, this workshop aims to investigate the historical nature of judgement, labelling, and perception. Additionally, the experiences of those making judgements and the impact on people subjected to them will be examined. Potential topics to be discussed might include, but are not limited to:

• alcohol, tobacco, and drugs;
• fatty and/or sugary foods;
• addiction and/or compulsive behaviours;
• gambling;
• physical culture and exercise;
• personal hygiene;
• “unorthodox” religious practices;
• youth culture;
• appearance;
• colonised, migrant, or diasporic community practices

Presenters might want to approach these issues through the analytical prisms of gender, sexuality, religion, or class to think about how and why specific behaviours in the past have been labelled as “bad”, as well as engaging with the reasons that people might develop or practice “bad habits”. Papers might also consider acts of control and subversion as well as responses to judgement/labelling by majority/authoritarian populations. It is envisaged that discussions will concentrate on issues of social, medical, political, and economic acceptability as well as the possible physical and mental health impacts of “negative” practices. To submit a paper or panel for consideration please send an abstract of approximately 250 words to the conference organisers Dr Steven Taylor and Dr Alice Mauger, along with a short biography, to bad.habits.ucd@gmail.com by 30 th April 2024. Contributions will also be considered for publication as part of an edited volume following the workshop.