Harm Reduction and/as Historical Analysi

Through a series of secondary- and primary-source readings, digital archive research, and writing assignments, we will explore the history of harm reduction from its origins in activist syringe exchange, condom distribution, and health education, and to the current moment of decriminalization, safe consumption politics, medically assisted treatment (MAT), and abolitionism. At the same time, we will think about how harm reduction perspectives challenge us to reconsider the histories and even the historiography of substance use, sexuality, health, and research science. Along with harm reduction theory and philosophy, relevant concepts and themes include syndemic theory and other epidemiological concepts; subjectivity; stigma; structural inequities (structural violence, structural racism); medicalization; biomedicalization; racialization; gender theory and queer theory; mass incarceration, hyperpolicing, and the carceral state; Transformative Justice; Liberatory Harm Reduction; the “housing first” approach; political and other subjectivities; and historical constructions of “addiction”/“addicts”, rehabilitation/recovery, “drugs,” and the “(brain) disease model”/NIDA paradigm of addiction.

Readings are multidisciplinary and include works in history, epidemiology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, among others, and the syllabus will include at least one field trip to a harm reduction organization and a guest speaker.

There are no official prerequisites. However, this is an upper-level course for graduate students and undergraduate juniors and seniors. Students ideally should have some academic or professional background in health studies or health provision (especially public health), harm reduction, History, or African-American/Ethnic/Gender studies (focusing on history or social science).

Student assessment will be based on three criteria:

• Class discussion participation = 40%
• Reading response papers (6) = 30%
• Primary source assignments (6) = 30%