Attention and Responsibility in Global Health: The Currency of Neglect

Attention and Responsibility in Global Health shows the construction of health through what is neglected and how the label of neglect is used, to make the case that shift in attitudes towards tropical diseases is based on changing cultures of health and disease. 　

Tropical diseases have moved from being of high importance for European empires to being neglected and unknown, and then returning to the spotlight once again. During this process, the understanding, framing and overall character of the disease grouping has changed through a rediscovery of a health issue once rendered neglectable. The book depicts this change in relevance of tropical diseases from colonial history to the present day diseases across political, cultural, and socio-economic contexts. It shows the transformation of tropical diseases as a grouping that uncovers the changing strategies, tactics and unintended consequences used in advocacy campaigning by scientists, NGOs and policymakers to drive disease issues up the policy agenda.　

Drawing on the emergent field of ignorance studies, the book explores ideas about the uses and deployment of strategic "not knowing". It is aimed at academics and students in science and technology studies, the sociology of health and medicine, environmental sociology, public policy, and the history of science.