Teaching
Cultural Anthropology
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Unit 8
Pandemics
2020 will be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but humanity has withstood many other pandemics over millennia. In this unit, students will learn how previous pandemics have affected human cultures, what anthropologists who study pandemics can tell us about underlying problems in our societies, and what we need to know moving forward.
Sapiens articles
The Problem of Imagining the Real
One of the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis is taking serious action against a threat that seems so abstract and intangible.
Why Social Distancing Feels So Strange
Humans are wired through millions of years of evolution to be social creatures. Faced with the COVID-19 virus, can we stay connected at a distance?
Keywords
View All in Crisis
![A colorful tapestry depicting a traditional scene of Jesus’ birth, with people in robes and headscarves, rests awkwardly on strewn rubble and debris.]()
![The toppled steeple of a church lies on the ground among other pieces of collapsed metal. A large blue and white building with a gold object on its roof towers in the background.]()
![Several people stand on a grassy cliff with green shallow water off to their left and blue water and a mountain range in the distance.]()
![A photograph features several stone pillars, some tilting towards others, with etched angular and circular designs on their visible front side. Blue skies and mountains lie in the background.]()
![A protestor holds a blue, green, and red patterned flag while wearing a face mask with the same pattern.]()
![A colorful illustration shows two hands toasting with beers, people spitting water at each other, a person floating on a yellow tube in the water in front of boats lined up together, and two people laughing.]()
The International Order Is Failing to Protect Palestinian Cultural Heritage
As Israeli forces destroy sites and monuments in Gaza, an archaeologist explains how international organizations charged with protecting cultural heritage should intervene—but have not.
Spotlighting War’s Cultural Destruction in Ukraine
An archaeologist, anthropologist, and film expert examine the staggering amount of damage to cultural heritage caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Can Archaeology Help Restore the Oceans?
On the Channel Islands, archaeologists draw lessons in sustainability from historic Chumash fishing practices.
Heritage Forensics Is Tackling Devastating New Forms of Cultural Erasure
In the Caucasus, researchers are using aerospace technology to expose the clandestine obliteration of Armenian cultural heritage. These new methods of archaeology will prove necessary in the global fight against authoritarianism.
In Spain, Scapegoating Spikes During the Pandemic
An anthropologist and a Rroma activist investigate the rise in prejudice and abuse toward Rroma people during the COVID-19 crisis.
Unmasked: Illustrating COVID-19 in Okoboji
An anthropologist and comic artist collaborated to bring to life the cultural squabbles and social complexities of the first pandemic year in Okoboji, a tourist town in northwest Iowa.
View All in Health
![A gray-haired woman sits on an exam table in a light-filled doctor’s office and looks out a window.]()
![A stream of clear water pours into an orange bucket. Behind it, two slightly out-of-focus women and a child look on.]()
![A close-up view features an art exhibit composed of multiple photographs arranged side by side. The photos show people riding a horse, receiving medical care, and speaking at a women’s event.]()
![A silhouetted woman sits in a chair in the center of a dark room looking directly at the camera. Close-up images of another woman are projected onto screens on the three walls surrounding her.]()
![A large group of people—some seated and others standing behind them—gather under a stone roof and look at a black laptop sitting on a small maroon footstool placed on a wooden table.]()
![A person’s hand leans on a car’s steering wheel while holding a black-and-white aerial photograph of a section of town with particular sites such as Patapsco River, Dundalk, and Arundel Corp. Shipyard labeled.]()
Doctors Are Taught to Lie About Race
Decades ago, anthropologists dispelled the myth of biological race. Lagging behind in scientific understandings of human diversity, the medical profession is failing its oath to “do no harm.”
How Water Insecurity Impacts Women’s Health
Anthropologists and local activists in Indonesia and Peru uncover links between water scarcity and gendered violence, and work together to lessen the harms of gender inequality.
Fighting for Reproductive Rights in Retirement
An anthropologist conducts research in an Arizona retirement community, where older women share hard-won insights about how limitations on sexual and reproductive freedom impacted their lives.
Spotlighting Black Women’s Mental Health Struggles
An anthropologist discusses her film that honors and grieves the loss of Kime, a friend who passed away after experiencing physical and state violence.
The Trauma Mantras
An anthropologist’s memoir in prose poems offers insights into her experiences working with refugees and on humanitarian projects in many parts of the globe over the last 20 years.
Baltimore’s Toxic Legacies Have Reached a Breaking Point
In a new book, an anthropologist reveals the heavy tolls industries have placed on residents in this eastern U.S. city. Here, she explains how these burdens have only worsened since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Professor Talking Points
- The archaeological record reveals evidence of the human experience amid pandemics like the bubonic plague and the 1918 flu.
- Anthropologists are well-positioned to study pandemics because of the importance they place on social interactions that can predict and explain how different cultures make sense of viruses and illness. They can also help identify what tendencies may spread or help contain contagion that other disciplines may not readily consider.
- Anthropological approaches to pandemics can also provide insight into socioeconomic differences that can result in some populations being at higher risk for exposure to harmful viruses.
- Anthropologists are also well-equipped with the necessary tools to help make sense of the reactions to pandemics—such as how people deal with isolation, death, physical distancing, and grief. Similarly, they bear witness to the creation of rituals and traditions, and new ways of generating networks and support during uncertain times.
- The study of globalization and transnational wealth and power also yield important insights for how the economy and politics are impacted amid widespread crises.
Academic Articles
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Hardy, Lisa J. 2020. “Connection, Contagion, and COVID-19.” Medical Anthropology 39 (8): 655–659.
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Singer, Merrill. 2009. “Pathogens Gone Wild? Medical Anthropology and the ‘Swine Flu’ Pandemic.” Medical Anthropology 28 (3): 199–206.
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Lowy, Ilana. 2020. “The Unknown Known: The SARS Past of COVID-19.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly June 5.
Student Discussion Questions
- According to the readings, what are some reasons why it can be difficult to get people to comply with safety measures during a pandemic?
- Why is it so challenging for some people to understand the danger of viruses?
- What have you learned in the readings about how humans have dealt with pandemics in the past? What lessons from those experiences can be applied to the COVID-19 crisis?
- What aspects of human behavior are both crucial for human survival and dangerous in times of a pandemic?
- Do the readings hint at anything that might be useful for us to keep in mind during future pandemics?
Activities
- Have students write a one- to two-page response to the question: “Why is it difficult for some people to stay home or physically distance?” Their responses should reference at least two readings.
- Have the students design masks that are oriented toward a particular culture’s values so that people would be inspired to wear the mask. Preface with a conversation about respectful representations and emphasize that these masks are not intended for actual use. This activity is about cultivating an awareness of culturally significant symbols and designs.
Additional Resources
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Podcast: SAPIENS Season 3 Going Viral
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TED Talk: Alex Rosenthal’s “When Is a Pandemic Over?”
Unit By
Eshe Lewis (2020)
Teaching
General Anthropology
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Unit 1
Professional Anthropology
