The Political Ecology of Malaria : Emerging Dynamics of Wetland Agriculture at the Urban Fringe in Central Uganda

Malaria remains one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Matian van Soest looks at the malaria epidemic in the peri-urban zones of Uganda's capital Kampala against the backdrop of recent socio-ecological transformations. Based on long-term ethnographic research, the book provides a holistic picture of the malaria epidemic in central Uganda, revealing the highly localized character of an epidemic that once spanned across almost the entire globe. Understanding, and ultimately tackling the disease, requires an appreciation of the social, political, as well as ecological circumstances that frame this epidemic. Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Figures and Tables 1. Introduction Relevance of the study and literature The need for an ecological context Research questions Outline of the book 2. Malaria: A brief overview Introduction Global Perspective The parasite’s life cycle The interplay of humans, mosquitoes, and parasites Malaria in numbers Progression of the disease Malaria testing and treatment of clinical malaria Malaria treatment Local understandings of malaria Plurality of meanings, syncretic models Perceptions of malaria: a “killer disease”? 3. Ethnographic research in Uganda: Language and ethics in the field Initial considerations Interdisciplinary research projects and their methodological implications Qualitative research in a foreign research setting: the issue of language Working with an interpreter Hiring an assistant Doing research, constructing the field Positionality: A German researcher in Uganda Doing research in a health facility 4. Kampala’s urban fringe: Socio-economic dynamics and transformations Central Uganda Infrastructure The Namulonge Research Farm Wetlands Land ownership and land use Structural adjustment: the 1998 Uganda Land Act Colonial legacies: the introduction of mailo land Mailo land in Namulonge Health in local context Health care in Uganda 5. Providing malaria treatment: Different forms of healthcare in Uganda Introduction Self-medication and individualized conceptions of health Mapping healthcare Healthcare in Uganda: Historical Perspective Formalized healthcare Informal healthcare 6. Coping with malaria: Facets of health seeking Introduction Costs of biomedical malaria treatment Malaria treatment outside the biomedical arena Peter Gerald Mukyala Nakakande 7. Agriculture in the urban fringe: The ambivalent role of wetlands Wetland agriculture and mosquitoes Malaria and Agriculture Wetlands as economic resource Wetland mining Fisheries Malaria and agriculture: local perceptions Malaria campaigns and wetland agriculture Wetlands as a last resort The ambivalent character of wetlands 8. Conclusion Introduction Outlook References

Malaria remains one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Matian van Soest looks at the malaria epidemic in the peri-urban zones of Uganda's capital Kampala against the backdrop of recent socio-ecological transformations.Based on long-term ethnographic research, the book provides a holistic picture of the malaria epidemic in central Uganda, revealing the highly localized character of an epidemic that once spanned across almost the entire globe. Understanding, and ultimately tackling the disease, requires an appreciation of the social, political, as well as ecological circumstances that frame this epidemic.