This book synthesizes the flourishing field of anthropology of infectious disease in a critical, biocultural framework. Leading medical anthropologist Merrill Singer holistically unites the behaviors of microorganisms and the activities of complex social systems, showing how we exist with pathogenic agents of disease in a complex process of co-evolution. He also connects human diseases to larger ecosystems and various other species that are future sources of new human infections. Anthropology of Infectious Disease integrates and advances research in this growing, multifaceted area and offers an ideal supplement to courses in anthropology, public health, development studies, and related fields.

This book synthesizes the flourishing field of anthropology of infectious disease in a critical, biocultural framework, advancing research in this multifaceted area and offering an ideal supplemental text.

Introduction: Anthropology and the Large Impact of Small Worlds Chapter 1. Defining the Anthropology of Infectious Disease: Toward a Biocultural/Biosocial Understanding Chapter 2. Denizens of the Microbial World Chapter 3. More than Human Chapter 4. Environmental Disruption, Pluralea Processes, and Infectious Diseases Chapter 5. Emergent, Re-emergent and Drug Resistance Infectious Agents Chapter 6. Infectious Disease Syndemics Chapter 7. Inequality and the Political Ecology and Future of Infections Glossary References Index About the Author