Michael David Vine

Recent years have witnessed an upsurge in global health emergencies, ranging from SARS to Ebola to Zika, bringing new attention to questions of connection across different spaces, species, and sociopolitical orders. Of particular concern is the changing relationship between humans, animals, and microbes in the present moment. To date, social studies of public or global health are often marked by a distinctly anthropocentric framing that obscures the active role of nonhuman actors in the governance of human life, health, and reproduction. Though invaluable, these studies offer only a partial picture of the sociopolitical life of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, which demand a greater attentiveness to the role of human-nonhuman relations in everyday life. In response, this project will examine the ways in which the emergence of mosquito-borne and sexually transmitted Zika virus in South Florida is reshaping the intersection of ecologies, knowledges and politics in Tampa Bay. By following the actions and interactions of mosquito control workers, public health practitioners, and scientific researchers throughout the city, the project will use long-term participant-observation to document the shifting biopolitical beliefs and practices that materialize in the wake of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, as well as their ramifications for public health programs.