Although the term “zombie” dates to the late 18^th century, Western depictions of zombies are fairly recent, although myriad in interpretation. Zombies are generally associated with Haiti, a connection fostered through literature at least since the early 20^th century.  While Wade Davis’ examination of zombies in 1986 became a bestseller and led to a movie of the same name, a precursor exists.  “The Magic Island” by William Seabrook, was originally published in 1929 and is believed to be the first English-language text focused on zombies.

Among the classic monsters, zombies receive some of the more interesting treatments in popular culture.  The beloved Jane Austen novel “Pride and Prejudice” received a zombified makeover in 2009 with the clever “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”.  While the undead feature heavily in many forms of print and visual media, few think of music as a primary vehicle for discussing zombies.  Sufjan Stevens included a zombie-themed song on his epic album “Illinoise,” which recalls the plot of Wes Craven’s classic film “Night of the Living Dead.”  Zombies, like all other monsters, have been reimagined according to their place and time.  Two television series, “Resurrection” and “Glitch” include new twists on zombies, maintain only the idea of returning from the dead. 

But the eternal life aspect of zombies has led to the coining of a new information literacy term.  “Zombie claims” refer to false stories that come back over and over again, regardless of the evidence against them.  It can be difficult to identify a zombie claim at first, but when you start digging for proof, you may find information that is quite old, maybe ten years or more, that is associated with the claim.  Moreover, since these stories keep returning, you may have seen one of them before – and you remember that it’s not true, no matter how many other people might believe them.  Yet no matter how many times fact checkers and experts debunk them, they keep coming back for new audiences.

An awareness, and even an appreciation, of zombies might be more useful than you think.  Established by the Zombie Research Society in 2007, Zombie Awareness Month isn’t just about popular culture and video games.  Rather, zombies can serve as a basis for educating about a number of topics, including mathematics, epidemiology, neuroscience and many others.  Interested in other ways zombies have been explored or used in education?  Want to know more about how the term “zombie” has been used?  Curious about other uses for terms like “the living dead”?  ask us!  iueref@iu.edu.