White Plague: A Historical Ethnography of Tuberculosis Among Yup'ik Peoples of Southwestern Alaska

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This research proposal by Dr. Linda Buckley-Green is a model of integrative medical anthropological research, drawing upon ethnographic, oral history, and archival research methods to examine the very complex relationship between Alaska Native culture and contemporary western medicine. Based on the specific case of tuberculosis among the Yup'ik of southwest Alaska, the PI proposes to gain insights on how " the structures of power and historical processes" interacted with Alaska Native experiences and agency. By researching the Yup'ik experience of the 1930s to the 1990s through the "lens of tuberculosis" the PI will help to shed light on the complexities of radical social and cultural change. In addition, the PI has laid the groundwork for extensive local participation both as researchers and as formal advisors to the project.