Professor Lincoln: 'Epidemics Are Particularly Political'

BOSTON GLOBE -- It’s not surprising that political affiliations have become connected to coronavirus behaviors, said Martha Lincoln, a medical anthropologist at San Francisco State University.

“Epidemics are particularly political, because unlike other kinds of health experiences in society, everyone is aware of them. By nature, they’re public events. They’re often happening very quickly and creating a lot of anxieties that bring a lot of other social, political and economic anxieties to the surface,” Lincoln said.