Discussion: The politics of disease management

LAWRENCE — The KU Public Safety Office Emergency Management Department is hosting the final event in a “lunch and learn” lecture series about interdisciplinary issues within disasters and emergencies. KU professors and scholars will share their fresh perspectives and pivotal research.

The upcoming session will feature Phillip Drake, assistant professor of English, who will present “Biting the Hand that Aids You: The Politics of Disease Management and Bali Rabies Outbreak.” The event will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 27. 

“Since first appearing on the Indonesian island of Bali in 2008, rabies has killed hundreds of people and thousands of semi-feral dogs. This presentation tracks this rabies outbreak and the efforts to contain the disease,” Drake said. “It argues that frictions between government officials and animal welfare activists led to policies that prioritized political and economic interests above community health interests.”

The problem of stakeholders ostensibly acting against their own health interests appears in other emergency contexts, such as ignoring scientific evidence, participating in high-risk behavior and advocating for dangerous policies, Drake said, which warrants further interdisciplinary scholarly attention.

Drake specializes in environmental rhetoric and literature, environmental politics, climate science and representation of disasters, and animal studies. He is the author of “Indonesia and the Politics of Disaster: Power and Representation in Indonesia’s Mud Volcano.” He also has recent articles in several journals, including Environmental Communication, Disasters and Rethinking Marxism. 

The event will take place in the Crossroads Room, level four of the Kansas Union. Students, staff and faculty are welcome.