Contagion, Technology, and Law at the Limits
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
232 pages
978-1-5099-7074-2 (ISBN)
Description
This open access book explores law, politics, and inequality in fights against infectious diseases. Guided by a theoretical framework called "governing through contagion", the studies in this book analyse how past and present governments have tried to combat contagious diseases, such as the bubonic plague, cholera, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19.
They examine how these governments used law and other technologies, including waste management, mask-wearing, quarantine stations, house inspections, and the burning of entire neighbourhoods, to achieve their aims of protecting populations and ensuring productivity.
Although the studies recognise the power of the state, they simultaneously emphasise the active roles of technologies and creatures, drawing attention to the often-taken-for-granted workings of the non-human in public health governance. They also consider the implications of strategies of control on marginalised communities and democratic politics. Collectively, the studies in this book bring attention to the connections between COVID-19 responses by governments and their historical antecedents, shedding light on the role of capitalism, colonialism, and geopolitics in circulating contagions and the strategies used to control them.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.
They examine how these governments used law and other technologies, including waste management, mask-wearing, quarantine stations, house inspections, and the burning of entire neighbourhoods, to achieve their aims of protecting populations and ensuring productivity.
Although the studies recognise the power of the state, they simultaneously emphasise the active roles of technologies and creatures, drawing attention to the often-taken-for-granted workings of the non-human in public health governance. They also consider the implications of strategies of control on marginalised communities and democratic politics. Collectively, the studies in this book bring attention to the connections between COVID-19 responses by governments and their historical antecedents, shedding light on the role of capitalism, colonialism, and geopolitics in circulating contagions and the strategies used to control them.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
351 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5099-7074-2 (9781509970742)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lynette J Chua is Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Jack Jin Gary Lee is Assistant Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research, New York, USA.
Jack Jin Gary Lee is Assistant Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research, New York, USA.
Content
Introduction: Governing Through Contagion: Perspectives across Time and Space, Lynette J Chua (National University of Singapore) and Jack Jin Gary Lee (Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, USA)
Part One: Technologies of Governing Through Contagion
1. British Quarantine and Telegraph Stations in the Persian Gulf, 1864-1928: Governing Through Contagion, Entanglements and Enclaves, Sebastian James Rose (University of Greenwich, UK)
2. Wastewater Surveillance in Colonial and Present-Day Hong Kong: Governing Through Contagion from Below, Dhiraj Nainani (National University of Singapore)
3. Regulating Pandemic Wastes: Governing Through Contagion via Disciplining Modalities, Lee Godden (Melbourne Law School, Australia)
4. Instruction and Information, Images and Icons: Governing Through Contagion, Social Regulation and Public Health, Sharyn Roach Anleu (Flinders University, Australia) and George Sarantoulias (Monash University, Australia)
Part Two: Inter/Dysconnectedness of Governing Through Contagion
5. Intimacy, Queer Men and the Law on HIV Risk Disclosure in Singapore: Governing Through Contagion at the Margins, Daryl WJ Yang (Singapore), Daniel WS Ho (Institute of Mental Health, Singapore) and Rayner KJ Tan (National University of Singapore)
6. The Vagrancy Law Model: Governing Through Social Contagion in the Anglo World, c. 1824-1932, Christopher Roberts (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
7. The Oregon Citizen Assembly Pilot on COVID-19 Recovery: Participatory Governing Through Contagion, Stephanie Burkhalter (California State Polytechnic University, USA) and Robert C Richards Jr (University of Arkansas, USA)
Part Three: Authoritarianism and Governing Through Contagion
8. Advancing a Politics of Social Division and Governing Through Contagion in Texas, USA, Nolan Kline (University of Central Florida, USA) and Nathaniel Webb (University of North Texas, USA)
9. Governing Through Contagion in the Authoritarian Context and the Case of China, Mark Sidel (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
10. Governing Through Contagion and the Limits of Law, Lynette J Chua (National University of Singapore) and Jack Jin Gary Lee (Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, USA)
Part One: Technologies of Governing Through Contagion
1. British Quarantine and Telegraph Stations in the Persian Gulf, 1864-1928: Governing Through Contagion, Entanglements and Enclaves, Sebastian James Rose (University of Greenwich, UK)
2. Wastewater Surveillance in Colonial and Present-Day Hong Kong: Governing Through Contagion from Below, Dhiraj Nainani (National University of Singapore)
3. Regulating Pandemic Wastes: Governing Through Contagion via Disciplining Modalities, Lee Godden (Melbourne Law School, Australia)
4. Instruction and Information, Images and Icons: Governing Through Contagion, Social Regulation and Public Health, Sharyn Roach Anleu (Flinders University, Australia) and George Sarantoulias (Monash University, Australia)
Part Two: Inter/Dysconnectedness of Governing Through Contagion
5. Intimacy, Queer Men and the Law on HIV Risk Disclosure in Singapore: Governing Through Contagion at the Margins, Daryl WJ Yang (Singapore), Daniel WS Ho (Institute of Mental Health, Singapore) and Rayner KJ Tan (National University of Singapore)
6. The Vagrancy Law Model: Governing Through Social Contagion in the Anglo World, c. 1824-1932, Christopher Roberts (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
7. The Oregon Citizen Assembly Pilot on COVID-19 Recovery: Participatory Governing Through Contagion, Stephanie Burkhalter (California State Polytechnic University, USA) and Robert C Richards Jr (University of Arkansas, USA)
Part Three: Authoritarianism and Governing Through Contagion
8. Advancing a Politics of Social Division and Governing Through Contagion in Texas, USA, Nolan Kline (University of Central Florida, USA) and Nathaniel Webb (University of North Texas, USA)
9. Governing Through Contagion in the Authoritarian Context and the Case of China, Mark Sidel (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
10. Governing Through Contagion and the Limits of Law, Lynette J Chua (National University of Singapore) and Jack Jin Gary Lee (Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, USA)