The Global Covid-19 Pandemic The Politics of Science or the Science of Politics?
Main Article Content
Keywords
Covid-19, Coloniality, Afro-decolonial thought, World Health Organisation, Political Science, Scientism
Abstract
The politics of science, or better still, the political science of global politics is what the world is battling, concerning the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, today. Whereas scientific disciplines such as virology and epidemiology would usually take centre stage when an outbreak such as Covid-19 strikes, and now owing to the vacuum that has been created by conflicting and contradictory information from health experts on Covid-19, global health is opened up to, or left up to, political giants. Health matters of virology and epidemiology surrounding Covid-19 have, thus, been reduced to issues of politicking. The World Health Organisation's voice (WHO), despite its sustained campaign and provision of information on Covid-19, is drowned and almost silenced by the number of health authorities and experts that have come out to refute mainstream information and strategies on combating and managing Covid-19. As such, the politicization of Covid-19 and the coloniality of knowledge and information surrounding Covid-19 may very well be the main issue of contention than the Covid-19 itself. This paper, therefore, seeks to unmask the political dimensions that are camouflaged by the Covid-19 pandemic and expose the real issues that Covid-19 has allowed to thrive and are, as a result, sustained by the Covid-19 crisis. Using the qualitative research methodology, I set out to discuss and analyse the debates on Covid-19 as have been proffered in the public domain. Thus, the method of research is a desktop analysis of academic articles, newspaper articles, social media pieces and mainstream television pieces, among others. I offer a decolonial account on Covid-19.
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References
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Nyere, C. 2020. A decolonial perspective on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s invasion of Libya in 2022. PhD Thesis. Pretoria: University of Pretoria.
Rouege, C. 2021. Texas Medical Board takes ‘corrective action’ against doctor over hydroxychloroquine prescription for COVID patient. KHOU, 3 November. [Online]. Available: https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/hydroxychloroquine-doctor-stella-immanuel-texas-medical-board/285-aa37adb5-2573-4d35-9106-851f6731fdcf [Accessed 22 June 2022].
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World Health Organization. 2021. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): How is it transmitted? 23 December. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted [Accessed 21 June 2022].
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Feb 9, 2024
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The Global Covid-19 Pandemic: The Politics of Science or the Science of Politics?. (2024). African Journal of Political Science, 11(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.36615/dpmf0h28
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How to Cite
The Global Covid-19 Pandemic: The Politics of Science or the Science of Politics?. (2024). African Journal of Political Science, 11(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.36615/dpmf0h28