Kevin Louis Bardosh

The year 2020 is crucial for how we think of and speak about the geological epoch we now (for better or worse) find ourselves living in. Should the Anthropocene Working Group confirm the addition of the ?Anthropocene? to the standard scientific timeline of earth?s 4.5-billion-year history, this would officially recognize the human species as being entirely responsible for the unprecedented breakdown that the planet is currently facing. What the earth system is undergoing now is a total, multidimensional, incomparable, and irreversible transformation. But what does this mean for the future of human health, including our collective ?battle? against infectious disease? This workshop will bring together a diverse group of scholars (mainly cultural, medical and environmental anthropologists) to critically and creatively debate how anthropology can tackle the challenges posed by doing infectious disease-related health research in the Anthropocene. This workshop will advance the field in three main areas: 1) the new scientific language required by the Anthropocene; 2) the impact of the Anthropocene on health and infectious diseases of humans and animals; and 3) methodological innovations for studying the connections between pathogens and the health of humans, animals and ecosystems in the Anthropocene. This meeting will eventually result in a collective edited book that will creatively reflect on the role of anthropological knowledge for the future of infectious disease.