Contested Truths Over COVID-19 in East Africa : Examining Opposition to Public Health Measures in Tanzania and Uganda
Abstract
- Abstract
- en The comparative analysis of three “contested truths” around COVID-19 in East Africa demonstrates that knowledge is a product of knotted, uneven, and disputed epistemological practices tied to structures of power. Lee, Meek, and Katumusiime examine: (1) the construction of a pan-African skepticism of COVID-19 that drew on anti-imperialist discourses; (2) social media posts through which Tanzanian digital publics critically evaluated steam inhalation as an alternative therapeutic for COVID-19; and (3) the resistance by many Ugandans to complying with public health measures such as lockdowns. “Contested truths” is used as an analytical framework to center the specificity and situatedness of truth-making in East Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Uchanganuzi huu wa kulinganisha kweli tatu zinazoshindaniwa kuhusu Uviko-19 (COVID-19) ndani ya Afrika Mashariki unaonyesha kuwa maarifa ni zao la mazoea ya kielimu yenye mafundo, yasiyolingana, yanayobishaniwa na yanayofungamana na mifumo ya mamlaka. Lee, Meek, na Katumusiime wanachunguza (1) ujenzi wa mashaka ya pan-Afrika kuhusu Uviko-19 ambayo yanatokana na mijadala ya kupinga ubepari; (2) machapisho katika mitandao ya kijamii ambapo umma wa kidijitali wa Tanzania ulitathmini kwa kina uvutaji wa mvuke kama tiba mbadala ya Uviko-19; na (3) ukaidi wa Waganda wengi dhidi ya kutii sheria na taratibu za kiafya za umma kama vile kusitishwa kwa shughuli zote za umma. Wanapendekeza mfumo wa uchanganuzi wa “kweli zinazoshindaniwa” ambao unazingatia umaalum na hali ya kutengeneza/kutafuta ukweli ndani ya Afrika Mashariki wakati wa janga la Uviko-19.
Subjects
People & roles
Origins & context
- Title
- Contested Truths Over COVID-19 in East Africa : Examining Opposition to Public Health Measures in Tanzania and Uganda
- Publication type
- Article
- Language
- English
- Journal
- African Studies Review
- Year
- 2023
- volume
- 66
- issue
- 4
- Page start
- 873
- Page end
- 898
- Status
- Peer reviewed
Identifiers & sources
- ISSN
- 1555-2462
Full text
- Full text
- Contested Truths Over COVID-19 in East Africa: Examining Opposition to Public Health Measures in Tanzania and Uganda Jia Hui Lee , Laura A. Meek and Jacob Katumusiime Abstract: The comparative analysis of three “contested truths” around COVID-19 in East Africa demonstrates that knowledge is a product of knotted, uneven, and disputed epistemological practices tied to structures of power. Lee, Meek, and Katumusiime examine: (1) the construction of a pan-African skepticism of COVID- 19 that drew on anti-imperialist discourses; (2) social media posts through which Tanzanian digital publics critically evaluated steam inhalation as an alternative ther- apeutic for COVID-19; and (3) the resistance by many Ugandans to complying with public health measures such as lockdowns. “Contested truths” is used as an analytical framework to center the specificity and situatedness of truth-making in East Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resumo : A partir de uma análise comparativa, Lee, Meek, e Katumusiime examinam três controvérsias epistemológicas em torno da COVID-19 na África Oriental: (1) a construção de um ceticismo pan-africano em relação à COVID-19, baseado em discursos anti-imperialistas; (2) a discussão em redes sociais na qual o público digital da Tanzânia avaliava criticamente a inalação de vapor como uma alternativa African Studies Review, Volume 66, Number 4 (December 2023), pp. 873–898 © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. doi:10.1017/asr.2023.69 Jia Hui Lee is the Junior Professor for Science and Technology Studies (STS) of the Global South at the University of Bayreuth. His research draws on STS and anthropology to examine the… Read the full text about 11,599 words
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