In this podcast, we discuss how virus surveillance systems identified China as an “epicenter” or source of pandemics, and discusses how these scientific approaches drive a broader “geography of blame.” Drawing on Fearnley’s book on avian and pandemic influenza science in China, we explore why wet markets, wild animal foods, and China’s rural farmers are repeatedly blamed for the emergence of new diseases.
Lyle FEARNLEY is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He is the author of Virulent Zones: Animal Disease and Global Health at China’s Pandemic Epicenter (Duke University Press, 2020), which is now available open-access on the OAPEN platform.
