Paper short abstract:

In this paper I look at the socio-ecological context of the landfill and beyond in an effort to understand the relations that hosts have with 'more than human agents': from vermin to microbes, and how these relate to wider cultural sensibilities, economic factors and government policies.

Paper long abstract:

Stench is often the most immediate mark of something rotten, dirty, decaying and diseased. In India, stench, and the sight of rancid smoke is a common indication of an open dump or landfill nearby. Frequently a slum is located in the vicinity too, housing waste-pickers who forage off these sprawling dumps, in search of salvageable waste. These spaces are also host to vermin, insects, birds and wild dogs, and more recently, dangerous bacteria have been found to thrive in such landfills: microbes resistant to even the top-end antibiotics, popularly known as 'superbugs'.

In this paper I look at the socio-ecological context of the landfill and beyond in an effort to understand the relations that hosts have with 'more than human agents': from vermin to microbes. I focus on the rise of 'superbugs' in India to highlight how the spread of infectious disease and superbugs relate to wider concerns to do with cultural sensibilities, economic factors and government policies.