COVID-19 in the Philippines: A Multi-Species Perspective

A Webinar by Dr. Gideon Lasco (University of the Philippines Diliman) November 16, 2020 / 10:00-11:30AM (Manila, GMT+8) Hosted by DLSU-SDRC / Register here

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the necessity - for social scientists and the rest of the public alike - of an ecological view of the world as humans grapple with microbes, surround themselves with plants, and engage with non-human animals in ways that range from abuse to affection. This presentation uses this multi-species perspective to reflect on the Philippine experience of COVID-19 thus far, offering illustrative examples, sketching tentative insights, and concluding with a research agenda for future work.

About the Speaker

Gideon Lasco, MD, PhD is a physician and medical anthropologist. He is senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman's Department of Anthropology and research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University's Development Studies Program. He obtained his medical (MD) and master's degrees (MSc in Medical Anthropology) from the UP College of Medicine and his PhD from the University of Amsterdam. A recipient of the Palanca Award for Essay, he maintains a weekly column on health, culture, and national affairs in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, as well as a newly-launched column in SAPIENS - the online anthropology magazine - that focuses on the relationships of humans with other living and non-living things.  An advocate of health equity, Dr. Lasco was selected as an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia for the year 2019. Beyond his public health and medical anthropology work, he is also involved in environmental research and advocacy, building not just on his academic background but his lifelong pursuit of mountain climbing. He is a trustee of Centre for Sustainability, an environmental non-profit organisation based in Palawan, and the Philippine Center for Investigate Journalism (PCIJ).  His collection of essays, The Philippines Is Not A Small Country, was published by the Ateneo de Manila Press in September 2020, and his ethnographic monograph on human stature has recently been accepted for publication at the University of the Philippines Press.