The Power of Parasites

This book describes how malaria both frustrates and facilitates life for Indigenous Palawan communities living in the forested foothills of the municipality of Bataraza on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. Tracing the arc of malaria on the archipelago from colonial encounters to the present day, it examines the ways in which malaria parasites have become entangled in contemporary lives. It uniquely explores the experiences of local government leaders working towards sustainably developing this last ecological frontier, health workers trying to meet international targets to eliminate malaria, and Palawan people trying to keep their bodies, social relations and the cosmos in careful balance. In exquisite detail, Dr Dalia Iskander shows how malaria emerged from, and was intrinsic to, a whole host of strategically-orientated social practices that were enacted in as well as around the disease's name, as people worked day-to-day to gain power in different guises in different arenas.

Provides unique insights into factors that lead to parasitic diseases being entrenched in human populations Illustrates how malaria is intertwined with Philippine history Will broadly appeal to all scholars of global health as well as medical anthropologists

Autorentext

Dr Dalia Iskander is Lecturer in Medical Anthropology at University College London, UK.

Inhalt
Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Practices of Oppression.- Chapter 3 Practices of Progress.- Chapter 4 Practices of Development.- Chapter 5 Practices of Professionalization.- Chapter 6 Practices of Equilibrium.- Chapter 7 Conclusion.