On Risk, Regulation, Drugs, Desire and More – Dangerous Consumptions Comes to UNSW

Across humanities, social science, socio-legal and other disciplines, few concepts are as persistent – or as contested – as ‘danger’ and ‘risk’. Questions about how danger and risk are mobilised and (re)constructed in ever shifting (and increasingly uncertain) systems of governance are at the heart of so many contemporary research inquiries, from public health and drug law and policy, to media, culture and beyond.  

The Dangerous Consumptions colloquium has long offered a space to explore questions about danger and risk depth, bringing together scholars who approach consumption – its pleasures, perils, desires, harms and more – in conceptually rich, rigorous, and often unexpected angles. 

Health+Law is delighted to support this year’s 22nd Dangerous Consumption Colloquium, which will be hosted by the School of Law, Society and Criminology in the Faculty of Law & Justice, at UNSW Sydney. The two-day colloquium is hosted by Senior Lecturer George (Kev) Dertadian and Associate Professor Phillip Wadds on 26–27 November 2026 and the call for papers is open now.  

Now in its third decade, Dangerous Consumptions has become a key annual forum for researchers, peers, practitioners and community members engaged in critical and cultural approaches to consumption as both a practice and a site of regulation and meaning making. While alcohol and other drugs have been central themes, the scope is deliberately broad, and previous years’ papers have engaged with topics ranging from gambling and pharmaceuticals to social media, popular culture and even fossil fuels – highlighting the wide reach of ‘consumption’. The colloquium’s single-stream format is designed to foster supportive, sustained engagement with ideas as they develop across sessions. Rather than fragmenting discussions, this structure enables connections to emerge between topics – whether that’s the role of desire in education, the legal governance of industry influence, or the management of harm in everyday life. 

At a time when questions of risk, harm and responsibility continue to powerfully shape public debate, the colloquium supports not only new ideas and knowledge, but also the kinds of conversations that can inform more thoughtful and effective responses to complex social problems.  

The colloquium call for papers is now open, inviting 250–500-word abstracts from scholars across disciplines and career stages. Researchers, practitioners and community stakeholders are all encouraged to submit work that engages with consumption in its broadest sense, particularly where it brings critical perspectives or conceptual innovation to bear on pressing social issues. This includes work on potentially harmful forms of consumption, the practices that surround them, and the policy and regulatory responses they generate. 

Submissions are open until Friday, 4 September 2026 and for additional information, please contact George (Kev) Dertadian or Phillip Wadds.  

The form for submitting abstracts is here.