The light from the stern: South African historians in the era of COVID-19

 
PIIS032150750021340-6-1
DOI10.31857/S032150750021340-6
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Occupation: Senior Researcher, Centre for Southern African Studies, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameAsia and Africa Today
EditionIssue 8
Pages59-65
Abstract

South Africa was among the few countries on the African continent where medical historians were often called on to reassure the public that the new pandemic could be contained and that lockdowns were bound to end. During the coronavirus pandemic, the role of South African medical historians has been to put historically informed perspectives on the virus outbreaks and their consequences.

For 750 days, South Africa remained in a national state of disaster because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The imposition of lockdown in 2020 increased hunger and poverty, deprived more South Africans of their income and access to education, placed a heavy burden on the healthcare and public health sector, sparked off protest and looting of shops, caused excessive use of violence by security forces and worsened the recession. The pandemic exacerbated the disparities in health, living conditions and access to professional medical services.

Epidemics affect all spheres of people’s lives and lead to noticeable social change. The study of epidemics puts the past in a different perspective by foregrounding historically important tendencies and processes. Therefore, the popular media in South Africa sought the opinion of the leading experts in this field, such as Howard Phillips, on the coronavirus disease throughout the state of disaster period.

The impact of the public scholarship by Phillips and his colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa demonstrates that knowledge gained from historical research can help people to make sense of the present, which is crucial ‘in a time of plague’. That is, historical knowledge can be useful in solving today’s problems. Uncovering patterns of responses to epidemics by previous generations of South Africans throughout the centuries, medical historians helped the nation realise that it had already been in dangerous waters before, survived, recovered and might do it again.

KeywordsSouth Africa, coronavirus, pandemic, COVID-19, Howard Phillips, history of medicine
Received16.05.2022
Publication date16.08.2022
Number of characters27497
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