Dr Aro Velmet (University of Oxford): The making of a Pastorian Empire: tuberculosis and bacteriological technopolitics
19 February 16:00
History Faculty Lecture Theatre, George Street, Oxford
Abstract: Why did the French empire in the early 20th century embrace members of the non-governmental Pasteur Institute as its key public health advisors? Why were colonial officials enthused by the power of vaccination and disinfection at a time when medical reformers in France increasingly advocated for a social approach to health and disease? This talk will use the case study of tuberculosis prevention to show how Pastorian bacteriology helped imperial administrators to imagine a globe-spanning, standardized empire, while at the same time limiting colonial responsibility for public health.
Coffee will be available from 15:30 in the Joan Thirsk Common Room
