Infectious Inequalities: Epidemics, Trust, and Social Vulnerabilities in Cinema

Synopsis

This book explores societal vulnerabilities highlighted within cinema and develops an interpretive framework for understanding the depiction of societal responses to epidemic disease outbreaks across cinematic history. Drawing on a large database of twentieth- and twenty-first-century films depicting epidemics, the study looks into issues including trust, distrust, and mistrust; different epidemic experiences down the lines of expertise, gender, and wealth; and the difficulties in visualizing the invisible pathogen on screen. The authors argue that epidemics have long been presented in cinema as forming a point of cohesion for the communities portrayed, as individuals and groups “from below” represented as characters in these films find solidarity in battling a common enemy of elite institutions and authority figures. Throughout the book, a central question is also posed: “cohesion for whom?”, which sheds light on the fortunes of those characters that are excluded from these expressions of collective solidarity. This book is a valuable reference for scholars and students of film studies and visual studies as well as academic and general readers interested in topics of films and history, and disease and society.

Copyright:

2022

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

208 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781000540802

Related ISBNs:

9781003261667, 9781032205205, 9781032199665

Publisher:

Taylor and Francis

Date of Addition:

12/22/21

Copyrighted By:

Qijun Han and Daniel R. Curtis. The right of Qijun Han and Daniel R. Curtis to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Entertainment, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.