Representations of an Ebola 'outbreak' through Story Technologies.
BMJ Glob Health
; 9(2)2024 02 10.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38341190
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Attempts to understand biosocial phenomena using scientific methods are often presented as value-neutral and objective; however, when used to reduce the complexity of open systems such as epidemics, these forms of inquiry necessarily entail normative considerations and are therefore fashioned by political worldviews (ideologies). From the standpoint of poststructural theory, the character of these representations is at most limited and partial. In addition, these modes of representation (as stories) do work (as technologies) in the service of, or in resistance to, power.METHODS:
We focus on a single Ebola case cluster from the 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa and examine how different disciplinary forms of knowledge production (including outbreak forecasting, active epidemiological surveillance, post-outbreak serosurveys, political economic analyses, and ethnography) function as Story Technologies. We then explore how these technologies are used to curate 'data,' analysing the erasures, values, and imperatives evoked by each.RESULTS:
We call attention to the instrumental-in addition to the descriptive-role Story Technologies play in ordering contingencies and establishing relationships in the wake of health crises.DISCUSSION:
By connecting each type of knowledge production with the systems of power it reinforces or disrupts, we illustrate how Story Technologies do ideological work. These findings encourage research from pluriversal perspectives and advocacy for measures that promote more inclusive modes of knowledge production.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
1_ASSA2030
Problema de salud:
1_surtos_doencas_emergencias
Asunto principal:
Fiebre Hemorrágica Ebola
/
Epidemias
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMJ Glob Health
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos