Discrimination, Othering, and the Political Instrumentalizing of Pandemic Disease

Journal of Interdisciplinary History of Ideas 9 (18) (2020)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The complex history of pandemics has created a diversified array of anti-epidemic responses, which have allowed structures of authority to express their power in multiple ways. In this paper, by considering theories applicable to cases ranging from Europe to Asia, from the 11th to the 18th century, we conduct a comparative analysis capable of identifying common traits and radical differences, aiming to show how such deployment of power was not always commensurate with the medical theories of the age, and with the gravity of the epidemiological situation. Specifically, we analyse how Western European States, in their process of formation, employed the concept of ‘public health’ to create the grounds for an unprecedented exercise of power over the private sphere. Furthermore, we compare this attitude with the discrimination of the minority known as burakumin in Japan, which was destined to undertake any ‘dirty’ or ‘impure’ occupation, to preserve the immunity of the community. In other words, we examine how structures of power have exploited states of exception to implement control measures beyond the needs of the situation through an increasingly hypertrophic apparatus of security; and ways in which political authorities have not aligned with medical or philosophical authorities of their times, for opportunistic reasons that benefited their own social, religious, or racial group.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

A modal theory of discrimination.Guido Melchior - 2021 - Synthese 198 (11):10661-10684.
The badness of discrimination.Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen - 2006 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 9 (2):167-185.
Two Kinds of Discrimination.Adrian Piper - 2000 - In Bernard Boxill (ed.), Race and Racism. Oxford University Press.
Immunitarianism: defence and sacrifice in the politics of Covid-19.Btihaj Ajana - 2021 - History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 43 (1):1-31.
Discrimination Against Vegans.Oscar Horta - 2018 - Res Publica 24 (3):359-373.
Discursive Discrimination: A Typology.Kristina Boréus - 2006 - European Journal of Social Theory 9 (3):405-424.
Direct Discrimination, Indirect Discrimination and Autonomy.Oran Doyle - 2007 - Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 27 (3):537-553.

Analytics

Added to PP
2021-02-28

Downloads
19 (#683,238)

6 months
3 (#447,120)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Emanuele Costa
Vanderbilt University

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Burakumin at the End of History.Ian Neary - 2003 - Social Research: An International Quarterly 70 (1):269-294.

Add more references