Outcast: A History of Leprosy, Humanity, and the Modern World

The story of how one misunderstood disease became the global blueprint for stigma and ostracization

Outcast: A History of Leprosy, Humanity and the Modern World reveals leprosy as the world’s foundational stigma, underlying the colonialism, exclusion, and exploitation that has shaped contemporary life.

After hearing leprosy being used as an anti-immigration dog whistle, Oliver Basciano began a journey into the past, uncovering how this ancient disease has been weaponized, used to justify for...