Decolonising Parasitology: The Case of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense

Dietmar Steverding; Kevin M Tyler

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2021.03.007

Decolonising Parasitology: The Case of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense

Trends Parasitol. 2021 Jun;37(6):461-464. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.03.007. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Authors

Dietmar Steverding¹, Kevin M Tyler²

Affiliations

¹ Bob Champion Research and Education Building, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, James Watson Road, Norwich, NR4 7UQ, UK. Electronic address: d.steverding@uea.ac.uk.
² BioMedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.

PMID: 33858780
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.03.007

Abstract

Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense was named after Rhodesia which, in turn, was named after the British imperialist and white supremacist Cecil Rhodes. In the light of the Black Lives Matter movement and contemporary consciousness of postcolonial legacy, it seems opportune to reconsider the subspecies name. Pros and cons of renaming T. b. rhodesiense are discussed.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter; Cecil Rhodes; Rhodesia; Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense; decolonisation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Colonialism
Terminology as Topic*
Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense*