EPICENTER explored the social life of cultural epidemics. It combined empirical knowledge, methods, and theory in anthropology and epidemiology. The Centre aimed to fill a knowledge gap in scientific as well as popular understandings of contagion by asking: What is contagion? The traditional distinction between communicable (i.e. infectious) and non-communicable diseases was challenged through research at the Centre.
Significant epidemics of non-communicable diseases (e.g. obesity, diabetes, ADHD) continue to spread, but the social dynamics of how these diseases spread needed better theorizing. Two hypotheses guided research at EPICENTER: a) infection and contagion are communicative phenomena; and b) epidemic phenomena always include communication, irrespective of the disease.
EPICENTER hosted studies on cancer, HIV, diabetes, tuberculosis, drug addiction, trauma, suicide, antimicrobial resistance, prevention and treatment regimens. Fieldwork was carried out in Denmark, India, South Africa, Uganda, Siberia, United Kingdom, and Egypt during 2013-16.
EPICENTER was a platform for communication between researchers and the public through museum exhibitions. Researchers produced cross-disciplinary as well as disciplinary publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as publications in Danish scientific journals and the media.
Prof. Lotte Meinert (Co-Director), Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Assoc. Prof. Jens Seeberg (Co-Director), Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Post. Doc. Lone Grøn, Danish Institute for Health Research
Post. Doc. Christian Suhr, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Post. Doc. Bjarke Nielsen, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research
Post. Doc. Marie Louise Tørring, Centre for Research in Cancer diagnostics in Practice (CaP)
Post. Doc. Birgitte Folmann, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Assoc. Prof. Daena Funahashi, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
PhD student, Fie Lund Lindegaard Christensen, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Lars Hedegaard Williams, Study of Religion, School of Culture and Society
Kathrin Houmøller, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Jeanette Lykkegaard, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Else Olesen, Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics
Theresa Ammann, Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Prof. Susan Reynolds Whyte, Anthropology, Copenhagen University
Prof. Wenzel Geissler, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Oslo University
Post. doc. Ruth Prince, University of Cambridge
PhD student Kathrine Hoffman Pii, Copenhagen Business School
Prof. Cheryl Mattingly, University of Southern California
Prof. Mary Lawlor, University of Southern California
Prof. Emilio Ovuga, Gulu University
Prof. Peter Vedsted, Center for Research in Cancer diagnostics in Practice (CaP), Aarhus University
Assoc. Prof. Christian Wejse, Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital
Prof. Morten Sodemann, Global Health University of Southern Denmark
Dr. Jens Aagaard-Hansen, Steno Center for Sundhedsfremme, Steno Diabetes Center
Assoc. Prof. Morten Nielsen, Moesgaard Museum and Anthropology, School of Culture and Society
Artist Tove Nyholm, Freelance.
Senior Curator Dr. med. Morten Skydsgaard, Steno Museum, Aarhus University
Associate Professor, PhD, Rikke Sand Andersen, Research Unit for General Practice (CaP), Institute of Public Health and Department of Anthropology, Aarhus University
