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On Wor(l)ds and Pandemics.

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Title: On Wor(l)ds and Pandemics.
Authors: Locane, Jorge J. (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Medical Humanities. Jun2025, Vol. 46 Issue 2, p193-204. 12p.
Subjects: Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, International relations, Colonization, Anthropocene Epoch, Imagination, Communicable diseases, Smallpox
Geographic Terms: Americas
Abstract: The spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has stimulated eschatological speculation. To the environmentalist and liberal diagnostician that had already been warning about the Anthropocene and the breakdown of post-Cold War global harmony, an alarm has now been added that in its worst prognosis estimates that, in 2020, we only started witnessing the beginning of a staggered health debacle. The idea of the world, as conceptual support for an imaginary community with global reach, has become a crisis. The world, an object often invoked by theoretical speculation over the last 30 years, has been now decreed finished. However, infectious diseases, in their epidemic and pandemic form, have devastated different societies at different times. This paper parallels two historical scenarios and a series of texts dealing with contagious diseases to shed light on the idea of (the end of) the world. The analysis centres on documents that bear witness to the importation of smallpox and other diseases into America and its spread during the European invasion and colonization. By recovering the concept of Pachakuti, a radical turnaround that can be understood as "end of one world", this paper shows that the chronicles reporting on the outbreaks of smallpox in America document a material end of the world for subjects who were not protagonists of history. The current end of the world is, on the contrary, that which would correspond to the protagonist of our phase of globalization and, eventually, to his world—which makes it more resonant and absolute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Medical Humanities is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: On Wor(l)ds and Pandemics.
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has stimulated eschatological speculation. To the environmentalist and liberal diagnostician that had already been warning about the Anthropocene and the breakdown of post-Cold War global harmony, an alarm has now been added that in its worst prognosis estimates that, in 2020, we only started witnessing the beginning of a staggered health debacle. The idea of the world, as conceptual support for an imaginary community with global reach, has become a crisis. The world, an object often invoked by theoretical speculation over the last 30 years, has been now decreed finished. However, infectious diseases, in their epidemic and pandemic form, have devastated different societies at different times. This paper parallels two historical scenarios and a series of texts dealing with contagious diseases to shed light on the idea of (the end of) the world. The analysis centres on documents that bear witness to the importation of smallpox and other diseases into America and its spread during the European invasion and colonization. By recovering the concept of Pachakuti, a radical turnaround that can be understood as "end of one world", this paper shows that the chronicles reporting on the outbreaks of smallpox in America document a material end of the world for subjects who were not protagonists of history. The current end of the world is, on the contrary, that which would correspond to the protagonist of our phase of globalization and, eventually, to his world—which makes it more resonant and absolute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Medical Humanities is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=186015754
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        Value: 10.1007/s10912-024-09873-x
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: SARS-CoV-2
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      – SubjectFull: International relations
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      – SubjectFull: Colonization
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      – SubjectFull: Anthropocene Epoch
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      – SubjectFull: Imagination
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      – SubjectFull: Communicable diseases
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      – SubjectFull: Smallpox
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      – SubjectFull: Americas
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      – TitleFull: On Wor(l)ds and Pandemics.
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              Text: Jun2025
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              Y: 2025
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