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Controlling Bacteria in a Post-antibiotic Era : Popular Ideas about Bacteria, Antibiotics, and the Immune System

Hansson, Kristofer and Irwin, Rachel LU (2022) In Ethnologia Europaea 52(2). p.1-21
Abstract
This article addresses people’s experiences with bacteria and the human body and examines the cultural meanings regarding concerns that society likely is running out of effective antibiotics. The empirical material comes from Sweden, and our analysis is framed through perspectives from the medical humanities. The interdisciplinary goal is to better understand the societal challenges of antibiotic resistance in the advent of a so-called post-antibiotic era. The study presents results from the “If antibiotics stop working” questionnaire which was distributed with the help of The Folklife Archives with the Scania Music Collections at Lund University. We argue that the concept of a post-antibiotic era can open a more imaginary way of thinking... (More)
This article addresses people’s experiences with bacteria and the human body and examines the cultural meanings regarding concerns that society likely is running out of effective antibiotics. The empirical material comes from Sweden, and our analysis is framed through perspectives from the medical humanities. The interdisciplinary goal is to better understand the societal challenges of antibiotic resistance in the advent of a so-called post-antibiotic era. The study presents results from the “If antibiotics stop working” questionnaire which was distributed with the help of The Folklife Archives with the Scania Music Collections at Lund University. We argue that the concept of a post-antibiotic era can open a more imaginary way of thinking about what future relationships are possible if antibiotics were to lose their curative power. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
antibacterial resistance, body, emerging infectious diseases, health, illness
in
Ethnologia Europaea
volume
52
issue
2
pages
21 pages
publisher
Open Library of Humanities
external identifiers
  • scopus:85148523020
ISSN
0425-4597
DOI
10.16995/ee.3483
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c734ae3a-738e-4540-a0bc-4ec472c05322
date added to LUP
2023-01-20 15:23:34
date last changed
2023-03-08 13:34:26
@article{c734ae3a-738e-4540-a0bc-4ec472c05322,
  abstract     = {{This article addresses people’s experiences with bacteria and the human body and examines the cultural meanings regarding concerns that society likely is running out of effective antibiotics. The empirical material comes from Sweden, and our analysis is framed through perspectives from the medical humanities. The interdisciplinary goal is to better understand the societal challenges of antibiotic resistance in the advent of a so-called post-antibiotic era. The study presents results from the “If antibiotics stop working” questionnaire which was distributed with the help of The Folklife Archives with the Scania Music Collections at Lund University. We argue that the concept of a post-antibiotic era can open a more imaginary way of thinking about what future relationships are possible if antibiotics were to lose their curative power.}},
  author       = {{Hansson, Kristofer and Irwin, Rachel}},
  issn         = {{0425-4597}},
  keywords     = {{antibacterial resistance; body; emerging infectious diseases; health; illness}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{1--21}},
  publisher    = {{Open Library of Humanities}},
  series       = {{Ethnologia Europaea}},
  title        = {{Controlling Bacteria in a Post-antibiotic Era : Popular Ideas about Bacteria, Antibiotics, and the Immune System}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.16995/ee.3483}},
  doi          = {{10.16995/ee.3483}},
  volume       = {{52}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}