Le virus, la chauve-souris et le totem. Ethnographie des relations inter-espèces dans le contexte biosécuritaire australien
This essay investigates the perception of interspecies frontiers, analysing the relations between humans and bats in the context of the Hendra zoonotic disease in north-eastern Australia. The Hendra virus (HeV) is responsible for a highly lethal zoonosis, moving between fruit bats, horses and humans...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
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Association Anthropologie Médicale Appliquée au Développement et à la Santé
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Anthropologie & Santé |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/anthropologiesante/6942 |
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| Summary: | This essay investigates the perception of interspecies frontiers, analysing the relations between humans and bats in the context of the Hendra zoonotic disease in north-eastern Australia. The Hendra virus (HeV) is responsible for a highly lethal zoonosis, moving between fruit bats, horses and humans, redefining the relations between these three species. In this configuration bats are designated as reservoirs for emerging infectious diseases. However, they are also a keystone protected species that plays a central role in the ecological balance of Australian forests. Based on the anthropology of zoonoses and interspecies studies, this research describes the perception of the indigenous and non-indigenous groups in close contact with flying-foxes. Distances between humans and animals and the way in which they are perceived have an impact on potential contamination. The human-animal proximity in local indigenous medicine, hunting practices and totemic references, reveals a complex entanglement that challenges several key concepts within the biosecurity paradigm. |
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| ISSN: | 2111-5028 |