Scan barcode
A review by leontyna
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues by Paul Farmer
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Like most of Paul Farmer's work this book explored current epidemics in a very thought-provoking way. The most memorable message for me was the difference between seeing barriers to care as a result of a different culture versus structural violence.
While culture in the past was a way to think about the issues with curiosity rather than judgment, currently it is overused as an argument to abandon treatment altogether in some areas, or it is even misquoted as a reason for some epidemics (for example explaining away AIDS as a consequence of voodoo practices - all without sufficient evidence). Using the cultural argument also tends to ignore questions of power and history. It downplays the history of oppression and injustice out of which present realities may have arisen, favouring the simplistic cultural differences explanation instead.
While culture in the past was a way to think about the issues with curiosity rather than judgment, currently it is overused as an argument to abandon treatment altogether in some areas, or it is even misquoted as a reason for some epidemics (for example explaining away AIDS as a consequence of voodoo practices - all without sufficient evidence). Using the cultural argument also tends to ignore questions of power and history. It downplays the history of oppression and injustice out of which present realities may have arisen, favouring the simplistic cultural differences explanation instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Drug abuse