Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Seminar/workshop/course
Since colonial times, global health has always been more about charity, goodwill, and saviorism, rather than justice, rights, and equity. Without education and reflection, it is easy to perpetuate this saviorism model of global health. To counter this, we need to reimagine a better model, one that is rooted in justice, equity, human rights, and self-determination. As we deal with massive, transnational challenges that threaten our very existence (e.g., widening economic inequities, conflicts, pandemics, and climate change), our ability to act as global citizens, forge genuine partnerships and demonstrate authentic solidarity and allyship may well determine our shared future. This interactive course aims to give students the opportunity to broaden their understanding and knowledge of global health issues, including core topics such as the colonial history of global health, power asymmetries in global health, privilege, racism & allyship, global health governance, social determinants of health, and health inequities. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, the course will use pandemics and climate crisis, two existential threats, to illustrate the challenges and opportunities inherent in global health work. Throughout the course, the need to ‘decolonize’ global health,’ as well as to practice authentic allyship will be highlighted. The course will help students to avoid a white saviorism approach to global health. The course will also encourage students to consider the glocal model and address health disparities wherever they occur.