Scarecrows
Supernatural Sentinels Against Covid-19 in Cambodia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4564574 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maurice Eisenbruch (0000-0003-1734-3651, Monash University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 345-363 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0145-9740 • E-ISSN: 1545-5882 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01459740.2025.2505657 |
| PMID | 40590387 |
| OpenAlex | W4411890228 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
Responses to the threat of COVID-19 have unveiled the underlying cultural theories of contagion across various countries. In Cambodia, erecting scarecrows has emerged as a popular response. This ethnographic study on contagious diseases and cultural deathscapes, which included participant observation with 185 informants, revealed that the human perception of scarecrows was less significant than the perception of ghosts that these scarecrows were intended to repel. To serve as effective sentinels, these scarecrows must appear menacing and be well armed. These observations offer insights into the cultural construction of contagion, threat, and defense in the context of an epidemic or a pandemic
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Context (archaeology · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Ethnography · Geography · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Outbreak · Pandemic · Perception · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Cambodian History and Society · Medicine · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · Virology
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |