(Dara) DV Ivanova

Profile

Dara has a strong interest in theories of place and space, care, migration and the relationship between architecture and health. Her research interests also include the politics of science, ethnography, cities and urban health, globalization, postsocialism, informal and transition economies, and gender.

During her BA and MSc Dara did research in Italy and Bulgaria on illegal migrant caregivers, called ‘badanti’. In this project she explored issues of migration, care and transitional economies, which sparked her interest in demographics and (the organization of) care.

Dara is currently working on a project about the significance of 'place’ in the governance of healthcare in the Netherlands. Places are everywhere in healthcare; care always happens somewhere. This is why understanding and mobilizing 'place' as a focal point in healthcare research is necessary and fruitful. The central question of the project is how does place matter for who is governing, what is being governed and to what effects? The aim is to examine the relation between ‘place’ and governance by focusing on somewhat odd and unconventional empirical cases.

In her research, Dara looks for unusual, quirky places of care, because within these, the importance of 'place' as an analytical concept can be observed very clearly. Examples of her research places are a tiny island's under-performing nursing home, a foundling room, a living lab and a cemetery.