Abstract
Over the last many centuries, humankind has experienced devastating epidemics, at different times literally and figuratively labeled plagues. Regardless of the scientific knowledge of the time, social responses have often included confusion, terror, and the search for culprits, most typically those seen as outsiders. Helplessness, ignorance, and rage have fueled conspiracy theories since the beginning of our record of these events. In modern times, populist distrust of public health experts and initiatives, and xenophobia and rampant misinformation, have contributed to a worsening of civic life.In this paper, the incidents of widespread infections over the past seven hundred or so years are examined as they have been recorded in available contemporary reports and in literature. Historic and scientific accounts, along with memoir and fictional offerings, will help us view the official and public responses, varied prevention and intervention strategies, and the psychological and moral outcomes attending the onset and course of disparate epidemics. In particular, the role of classic writings such as those of Boccaccio, Defoe, Poe, and Shelley guide our discussion of the ways in which both wisdom and folly can attend devastating infectious events.
Presenters
Maureen GibneyTeaching Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Epidemics, Moral Injury, Pandemics, Plagues, Plague Narratives, Xenophobia
