Asst. Prof. Dr. Luisa Reis Castro 

How to Survive the Mosquito Epoch examines the complex interplay of climate change, disease ecologies, and the politics of science. An entomologist explained the importance of Brazil-based research, saying: “When it comes to mosquitoes, the world will become Brazil,” implying that due to the climate change-driven expansion of the mosquito–vector Aedes, other countries would endure the outbreaks currently besetting Brazil. Drawing on interdisciplinary analysis, I will look at Brazilian researchers’ argument that historical and ongoing epidemics in their country give them a special vantage point for offering solutions to the proliferation of mosquito-borne diseases caused by climate change.. Beyond contributing to theoretical discussions on the politics of knowledge production and the interconnections between health and the environment, my book will also help to dismantle harmful narratives like those portraying the Global South as a source of disease. To examine these issues, I ethnographically investigated three vector control projects that harness the Aedes to address the pathogens this mosquito can transmit, part of what I call the “reinvention of mosquito science,” after a century of failed anti-mosquito campaigns. By describing technoscientific solutions to help humans coexist with a harmful species that proliferates due to anthropogenic actions, I will make an innovative theoretical contribution to discussions on planetary health.