Anthropology of Infectious Disease

Description

This book synthesizes the flourishing field of anthropology of infectious disease in a critical, biocultural framework. Leading medical anthropologist Merrill Singer holistically unites the behaviors of microorganisms and the activities of complex social systems, showing how we exist with pathogenic agents of disease in a complex process of co-evolution. He also connects human diseases to larger ecosystems and various other species that are future sources of new human infections. Anthropology of Infectious Disease integrates and advances research in this growing, multifaceted area and offers an ideal supplement to courses in anthropology, public health, development studies, and related fields. Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Anthropology and the Large Impact of Small Worlds Chapter One: Defining the Anthropology of Infectious Disease: Toward a Biocultural/Biosocial Understanding Chapter Two: Denizens of the Microbial World Chapter Three: More Than Human Chapter Four: Environmental Disruption, Pluralea Interactions, and Infectious Diseases Chapter Five: Emergent, Reemergent, and Drug-Resistant Infectious Agents Chapter Six: Infectious Disease Syndemics Chapter Seven: Inequality, Political Ecology, and the Future of Infectious Diseases Glossary References Index About the Author