Extract
[...] He qualifies it as postmodern in many aspects. Thus, in this critical note, we will propose to respond to the following problem: In what ways do the authors analyze epidemics, as social phenomena responding to specific scientific and societal logics? To answer this question, we will see in the first part that epidemics are social constructions; in the second part, we will note that they are revealing of the societies in which they inscribe themselves. I. Epidemics, social constructions A. [...]
[...] Rosenberg, the ritual gives an insight into social values at particular moments and highlights conflicts over priorities. He gives the example of the 1832 cholera epidemic, which showed inconsistencies between the views of laypeople and doctors on contagion in Europe and North America. For example, this spread generated hostility towards immigrants and Roman Catholics, while in England, hostility was directed towards doctors. He gives another example, that of the polio epidemic in New York, where measures targeted immigrant slums (said to be dirty) and densely populated. [...]
[...] The historian highlighted the fact that epidemics trigger the development of practical and symbolic tools to manage the disease. In the context of the solutions considered, legitimate actors are solicited, including scientists, administrative authorities, and political powers, often in a context marked by uncertainty about knowledge. Faced with this regime of uncertainty, a reality of the disease is constructed through the discourse of multiple actors. Anne Rasmussen explains, in particular through the study of controversies that took place during the Spanish flu epidemic, how a tangible reality of the Spanish flu is constructed through the discourse of multiple actors. [...]
[...] Following these observations by the medical corps, the authorities can then be reluctant to reveal the epidemic, as epidemics are provocative of 'social dissolution' that impacts many sectors such as commerce and communications. II. Epidemics, revealing the characteristics of the societies in which they occur A. Epidemics, revealing the values that underlie society Charles E. Rosenberg highlights that most of the time, epidemics reveal the values that underlie a society, and notably in the management of the crisis or in the stigmatization of certain populations. [...]
[...] Firstly, it is possible to revisit the formation of the name of the so-called Spanish flu. While the term flu was the subject of controversy, as it was identified with a benign disease and did not reflect the gravity of the epidemic. The term Spanish was added, without however clearly demonstrating the geographical origin of the flu. Anne Rasmussen shows in her article that Spain was designated as the country of origin because France was experiencing censorship in communication around this epidemic, while Spain spoke freely about it. [...]
