After experiencing the SARS outbreak in 2003, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan all invested in various techniques to mitigate future pandemics involving myriad cross-species interactions between humans and birds. In some locations microbiologists allied with veterinarians and birdwatchers to follow the mutations of flu viruses in birds and humans and create preparedness strategies, while in others, public health officials worked toward preventing pandemics by killing thousands of birds. In Avian Reservoirs Frédéric Keck offers a comparative analysis of these responses, tracing how the anticipation of bird flu pandemics has changed relations between birds and humans in China. Drawing on anthropological theory and ethnographic fieldwork, Keck demonstrates that varied strategies dealing with the threat of pandemics—stockpiling vaccines and samples in Taiwan, simulating pandemics in Singapore, and monitoring viruses and disease vectors in Hong Kong—reflect local geopolitical relations to mainland China. In outlining how interactions among pathogens, birds, and humans shape the way people imagine future pandemics, Keck illuminates how interspecies relations are crucial for protecting against such threats.

"“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.”" - 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." - 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." - 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.’”" - 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.”" - 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.”" - 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.”" - 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." - China Perspectives