Governing the Dead: Ethics, Justice, and Public Health in Pandemic Response

Background

The management of dead bodies during epidemics and pandemics is an often overlooked but vital aspect of public health preparedness and response. Crises such as Ebola and COVID-19 demonstrate that death is not only a biological event but also a site of political, ethical, and social tension. How societies handle the dead affects public trust, compliance with health measures, and perceptions of justice and human dignity.

Effective policies for managing the dead must balance urgent public health imperatives such as preventing infection and ensuring rapid response with respect for cultural, religious, and familial practices surrounding death. When this balance is not achieved, mistrust deepens, misinformation spreads, and grief intensifies. During Ebola outbreaks, restrictions on traditional burial rites led to community resistance and further transmission. In the COVID-19 pandemic, mass cremations, limited funerals, and unequal access to dignified burials exposed profound inequalities of class, race, and geography. Across these crises, the governance of the dead has revealed whose lives and deaths are recognised and whose are marginalised.

This cross-disciplinary project will draw on global health, public health, sociology, ethics, and policy studies to examine how the dead are governed during infectious disease outbreaks. It will address key ethical questions: Who decides how bodies should be handled in emergencies? How are competing values of public safety versus personal and cultural rights negotiated? And what obligations do states and global health institutions have to ensure dignity and equity in death?

research experience, research methods and skills training

The project will combine desk-based research and fieldwork. Students will conduct qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups, supported by training in qualitative methods, data analysis, and policy evaluation. Additional training will be available in interdisciplinary research, drawing on approaches from anthropology, sociology, and bioethics.

FIELD WORK, SECONDMENTS, INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS AND TRAINING

Training will be supported through the University of Oxford’s CoSy platform and research development activities at the Ethox Centre and Nuffield Department of Population Health. Students will also benefit from seminars and collaborations within the Pandemic Sciences Institute and the NDM Oxford Centre for Global Health Research.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENT

The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as global health, public health, sociology, anthropology, or bioethics. They should have experience with qualitative research and be willing to conduct fieldwork with diverse stakeholders such as health professionals, policymakers, and communities. The candidate should be motivated to explore ethical and social questions surrounding death in pandemic contexts and to engage in interdisciplinary research and training. They will be encouraged to present their work at conferences, contribute to academic publications and public engagement activities.