“In this ethnography of the prevention of bird flu pandemics in Asia, Frédéric Keck dazzlingly interweaves perspectives from the anthropology of sciences and institutions, an account of the modernization of methods of biopower, and a fine-grained analysis of relations between endangered humans and nonhumans in order to show how common values evolve out of their mutual vulnerabilities. A crucial contribution to the reformulation of political rules for the coexistence between different forms of life.”
~Philippe Descola, Collège de France
“This is a delicious book, fun to read and full of bright sparks of insight. Frédéric Keck compares microbiologists to hunters; he mixes and matches his ontologies in relation to particular scientific practices. The exuberance of comparison makes the experiment work. I find it stimulating and good to think with.”
~Anna Tsing, coeditor of, Feral Atlas: The More-Than-Human Anthropocene
"This thought-provoking and brilliant book is no doubt timely. Avian Reservoirs inspires us to re-examine our relations with animals and techniques of dealing with zoonotic disease."
~Justin Lau, LSE Review of Books
"The message of [Avian Reservoirs] is both timely and time-honored. The birds and their microbes, like the omens of classical literature, bear witness to a realm of higher truths. We would do well to heed our augurs."
~Priscilla Wald, Public Books
“Ultimately Keck’s work offers a global view of China and the region, and if it remains less invested in the concerns of area studies specialists, it fits nicely with much of contemporary medical anthropology, especially recent work on biology, biosciences, and even environmental history…. Theoretically sophisticated, and holding ethnographical ambitions, Avian Reservoirs offers much to consider with the questions it poses, actively seeking to ‘decenter humans by showing their dependence on other species.’”
~John P. DiMoia, Asian Ethnology
“Avian Reservoirs is a fascinating and timely ethnography on bird flu prevention in East Asia. Frédéric Keck has taken a unique approach to the field of global health that is rich with theoretical insights and fresh methods.”
~Eric I. Karchmer, Journal of Asian Studies
“Avian Reservoirs offers a well-historicized ethnography of key systems of global infectious disease research, surveillance, and prevention.... Keck’s book is essential for scholars interested in pandemic preparedness.”
~Stephen Molldrem, New Genetics and Society
“Frédéric Keck’s illuminating study . . . could not be more timely at a time when the world is in the throes of Covid-19. . . . [Avian Reservoirs] forces us to reflect on the disequilibrium that has created our present crisis.”
~Thomas Abraham, Journal of Anthropological Research
"Avian Reservoirs is a highly creative and unorthodox work, richly informed by interdisciplinary concepts that are folded into the text with care and intellectual fidelity. . . . Avian Reservoirs is a thought-provoking read—imposing order and orientation over disparate, highly charged, and locally varying projects to manage the entanglements between humans, animals, and emerging pathogens."
~Martha Lincoln, China Perspectives
