Metaphors of foreign strangers: antimicrobial resistance in biomedical discourses

ABSTRACT Complex phenomena such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are often explained in biomedical sciences by using analogies and metaphors. Metaphors play a crucial role in the knowledge production processes, as well as in ensuring the continuity of scientific models of thought. Novel conceptual metaphors, such as ‘AMR is an apocalypse’ or ‘antibiotics are weapons’ are usually immediately recognised as metaphors. Therefore, they have been scrutinised for their role in producing militaristic and even discriminatory discourses towards specific antibiotic use practices or populations, such as migrants or residents of low-income countries. At the same time, other terms have been presented as literal and descriptive, thus escaping critical analysis. Terms such as ‘bacterial reservoirs’ and ‘bacterial colonies’ have been conventionalised in biomedical sciences. However, the historical links between these terms and the sources of comparisons (reservoir – a source of something; and colony – a settlement in a foreign territory) are still present in biomedical discourses. As such, these terms stimulate a style of thinking about bacteria as foreign actors coming from foreign lands and bodies. Critical engagement with conventionalised metaphors helps to trace the continuity in scientific thought processes that links the historical context from where these metaphors are coming from to the present material practices and methods of science-making, including funding distribution.