Universität zu Köln

Mayer, Sophia Caroline (2024). "You just had to choose what to believe". COVID-19 vaccine decision-making among African migrants in the United Arab Emirates. Masters thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

As we know today, the Covid-19 pandemic was a watershed moment for global health management. As a public emergency of international, the pandemic challenged established knowledge about health risks and appropriate health measures. National governments decided on a variety of public interventions, such as the prescription of face masks and Covid-19 testing, the curtailment of personal contact and movement, and the endorsement of new vaccines. In many parts of the world, these interventions were met with mixed feelings and varied responses, including widespread approval as well as weaning trust in the state and/or in science. The Master thesis of Sophia Mayer zooms in on this very situation of uncertainty that was compounded by a global surge in critical narratives, rumours, and conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic and the newly developed vaccines. It is a highly informative and exemplary study that explores the contentious issue of Covid-19 vaccines from the perspective of African migrants in the United Arab Emirates. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Michaela Pelican and Dr. Jonathan Ngeh and was realized in the context of a larger study on “Communication during and after Covid-19”, which informed Sophia Mayer’s focus on African migrants in the United Arab Emirates. Mayer’s thesis stands out by its topical relevance, empirical depth, and thorough theorization. Based on three detailed case studies and selected material from the larger study, Mayer analyses the decision-making strategies of her protagonists regarding the Covid-19 vaccination. She pays attention to several dimensions, including the limitations to migrants’ freedom in the United Arab Emirates due to their economic and legal dependence on their sponsor-employers. She illustrates how her protagonists drew on collective historical memories, lived experiences, and common techniques of data verification, and highlights the role of emotions and norms as constitutive aspects of decision-making. Finally, Mayer recognizes that while rumours and conspiracy theories have surged on a global scale during the pandemic, they are pervasive in many parts of Africa, which, she argues, ought to be seen in the light of colonial and postcolonial health interventions on the continent. Importantly, she pursues a critical approach that pays attention to the normative connotations of the label conspiracy theories as well as the alternative standpoints often expressed through them. The thesis thus contributes to an informed understanding of the critical responses to the Covid-19 vaccine we have seen not only in the United Arab Emirates but also in Germany and other parts of the world.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Mayer, Sophia Caroline UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-747283
Series Name at the University of Cologne:	Kölner ethnologische Beiträge
Volume:	66
Date:	2024
Place of Publication:	Köln
ISSN:	1611-4531
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 4: Außereuropäische Sprachen, Kulturen und Gesellschaften > Institut für Ethnologie
Subjects:	Customs, etiquette, folklore
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Covid-19 vaccine, decision-making, United Arab Emirates, African migrants; Master thesis English Covid-19-Impfstoff, Entscheidungsfindung, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate, afrikanische Migranten; Masterarbeit German
Date of oral exam:	2024
Referee:	Name Academic Title Pelican, Michaela Prof. Dr. Ngeh, Jonathan Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/74728