Cinematic Prophylaxis: Globalization and Contagion in the Discourse of World Health

Delve into the fascinating intersection of film, public health, and globalization with Kirsten Ostherr's *Cinematic Prophylaxis: Globalization and Contagion in the Discourse of World Health*. This insightful book, published by Duke University Press, explores how cinematic representations of disease outbreaks and the spread of contagion have shaped, and continue to shape, our understanding of global health, national borders, and the very concept of the "pathologized body." Ostherr doesn't just offer a simple analysis of film; she crafts a compelling narrative that connects seemingly disparate cinematic moments, from the earnest public health films of the mid-20th century to the thrilling alien invasion narratives of the Cold War era, and even to the digital anxieties surrounding cyber-viruses. She meticulously dissects how these visual representations, across various media, reflect and influence our perceptions of disease origins, transmission vectors, and the social anxieties they trigger. *Cinematic Prophylaxis* provides a crucial historical context for understanding how the anxieties surrounding global health crises manifest in popular culture. Ostherr dedicates significant attention to the under-examined public health films produced between World War II and the 1960s. These films, often made by organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), aimed to educate the public about hygiene and disease prevention, promoting ideals of "world health." However, Ostherr goes beyond the surface, revealing the underlying aesthetic strategies and often-problematic subtexts embedded within these films. She uncovers how ideas about racial impurity, sexual degeneracy, and national identity subtly informed the messages about global health, revealing a more complex and nuanced picture of their impact. The book examines how these early cinematic representations paved the way for later films and television programs that tackled disease outbreaks and global pandemics. She offers a fresh perspective on classic films such as *Outbreak* (1995) and explores how the AIDS epidemic was represented in television during the 1980s. Beyond the silver screen, Ostherr extends her analysis to the burgeoning digital landscape, exploring anxieties surrounding the spread of cyber-viruses and their parallels with biological contagion. By meticulously analyzing the visual language and narrative structures employed in these films, Ostherr exposes the central aesthetic strategies used to make the invisible visible. She challenges us to critically examine how films shape our understanding of global health and how they contribute to the construction of social anxieties surrounding disease. *Cinematic Prophylaxis* is essential reading for anyone interested in film studies, media studies, public health, globalization, or the cultural history of disease. It provides a powerful framework for understanding how visual representations of contagion continue to shape our perceptions of the world and our place within it. This illustrated paperback edition offers 288 pages of thought-provoking analysis.