Conceptualizing AMR as a creeping disaster in terms of pace and space

Abstract

Traditionally defined, disasters are understood as relatively limited in duration. Yet we also know that some disasters are of a creeping and indeed perpetual nature – their onsets do not seize to advance. One example is AMR. In theory, it should be easier to respond to such creeping disasters as a result of their slow build up. In reality, however, swift response to creeping disasters rarely materializes due to their perceived lack of acuteness, causing them instead to be left to slowly accumulate in the background – often irreversibly so – until they eventually escalate into full-blown emergencies. AMR reflects just such a phenomenon in that it lacks clearly definable temporal and spatial boundaries. It develops in the natural world and moves across the human, animal, and natural worlds, not limiting itself to sectors or national borders. Each attempt at stopping the creeping disaster simply prolongs it; new forms of antibiotics will eventually also be resisted due to mutations in bacteria. Occasional outbreak episodes invite attention and concern, only for the issue to fade again from the public view. Still, it is unclear how AMR fits into the disaster and crisis literatures. In this chapter we set out to conceptualize AMR as a creeping disaster in terms of pace and space with the purpose of contributing to new insight into the nature of acuteness and perceived urgency. It thus not only contributes with a fresh look on AMR, but it also contributes to new ways of understanding the complex phenomena of crisis and disaster.