The author reflects on theoretical dilemmas and on her subjective experiences in doing a medical anthropological study that aims to be scientifically valid, practically applied, and socio-politically engaged. To this purpose, the article discusses data collected in two Italian cities: Bari (southern Italy) in 2009, and Casale Monferrato (northern Italy), in 2012. Both the contexts have been affected by social and environmental disasters related to the presence of two asbestos-cement plants, active until the end of the 1980s: the Fibronit and the Eternit factories, respectively. First, historical and social contextualization of legislation and epidemiological data about asbestos manufacturing are briefly provided, both for the national and the international settings, in order to better situate the actions of socio-political engagement undertaken by the victims organised into local anti-asbestos social movements whose goals and practices have national and international resonance. Second, the author offers a general overview of asbestos’ characteristics as a raw material, and of the political-economic dynamics promoting its massive industrial use, despite the fact that biomedical studies have recognised asbestos fibres as cancer causing factors as far back as the 1960s. Third, the author refers to anthropological and sociological literatures on risk perception and on the disaster’s processes in order to better understand the peculiarities of the asbestos-related disasters. Lastly, the anthropologist’s engagement with the investigated issues is discussed, and a parallelism between contamination and engagement is offered by looking at a process in which the scientist and the research partners collaborate to promote new knowledge and socio-political changes.
Contaminazione, Coinvolgimento, Impegno. Riflessioni su una ricerca di antropologia medica in contesti urbani affetti da disastri ambientali e sociali provocati dalla lavorazione del cemento-amianto in Italia
MAZZEO, AGATA
2014
Abstract
The author reflects on theoretical dilemmas and on her subjective experiences in doing a medical anthropological study that aims to be scientifically valid, practically applied, and socio-politically engaged. To this purpose, the article discusses data collected in two Italian cities: Bari (southern Italy) in 2009, and Casale Monferrato (northern Italy), in 2012. Both the contexts have been affected by social and environmental disasters related to the presence of two asbestos-cement plants, active until the end of the 1980s: the Fibronit and the Eternit factories, respectively. First, historical and social contextualization of legislation and epidemiological data about asbestos manufacturing are briefly provided, both for the national and the international settings, in order to better situate the actions of socio-political engagement undertaken by the victims organised into local anti-asbestos social movements whose goals and practices have national and international resonance. Second, the author offers a general overview of asbestos’ characteristics as a raw material, and of the political-economic dynamics promoting its massive industrial use, despite the fact that biomedical studies have recognised asbestos fibres as cancer causing factors as far back as the 1960s. Third, the author refers to anthropological and sociological literatures on risk perception and on the disaster’s processes in order to better understand the peculiarities of the asbestos-related disasters. Lastly, the anthropologist’s engagement with the investigated issues is discussed, and a parallelism between contamination and engagement is offered by looking at a process in which the scientist and the research partners collaborate to promote new knowledge and socio-political changes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
