PH 265 Chapter Notes - Chapter 0: Arthur Kleinman, Michel Foucault, Biopower
23 Jan 2020
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Document Summary
Social and biological factors interact to influence health and disease. Early concepts of global health began with european colonizers who sought opportunity in mostly tropical lands in which malaria and other diseases were endemic. Biopower: concept shaped by michel foucault in the 20th century. Biopower includes the controls exerted over humans for regulation, discipline, welfare, or other control. (or, in terms of a new definition, the surveillance or control of populations by the state in the development of health policy. Instead of using the existing haitian public health infrastructure, most governments and organizations that were aiding in relief efforts decided to operate independent systems for providing health care to the people of haiti. This lack of investment weakened the public sector. Arthur kleinman argues that medicine cannot be separated from moral and political concerns, and that disparities across economic status, gender, ethnic group, and age cohort mean that inequality is at the heart of global health policy.
