Differential Definitions of Fear and Foreignness: The Case of SARS in North America

Abstract

Sudden threats to the health of the general population resulting from international interaction potentially foster public communication dominated by fear of the foreign, illuminating aspects of modern democracies. This article examines public issue definition surrounding SARS as a case of emerging public health risks in North America. The analysis suggests sustained differentiation of the process in Canada and the United States with limited tendencies toward fear based policy solutions. This restraint may be related to the thus far unexplained luck the United States experienced with regard to the spread of SARS.

Keywords:

• issue definition
• public health
• North America

Notes

19. World Health Organization. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Status of the Outbreak and Lessons for the Immediate Future, SARS technical briefing, WHA 20 May 2003, 56.

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