Abstract
Using the case of contaminated blood as a starting point, this course will revisit what was described at the time as an “affair” or “scandal,” before analyzing the reasons that led to the development of the concept of public health safety—within the broader context of the state’s repositioning around its sovereign security missions. It will describe the creation of independent agencies in the health sector, how these agencies use risk analysis to establish their expertise and reduce uncertainty, and the trend toward proceduralization centered on the distinction between risk assessment and risk management, which leads to their bureaucratization.
