Putting Sociology to Work for a More Equitable Global Health

Session Submission Type: Paper Session (90 minute)

Description

The intersection of sociology, development, and global health has been a wellspring of both critique and response to ideas of health equity as part of a more equitable social world. From the Alma Ata Declaration of “Health for All” by the year 2000, to the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals, global health has been a key site for understanding, debating, and working towards ideas of equity, equality and disparities. From measuring difference to debating its meaning, the sociology of global health allows us to both engage and critique these concepts as we learn from those working around the world to understand what it means for communities to have what they need to support healthy lives. In response to rising inequality paired with significant changes in global health funding and leadership, the sociology of global health is positioned to provide important tools for mapping a way forward. Papers are welcome that explore stories of projects and concepts that have increased health equity, that have critiqued and engaged with notable gaps, responded to failures, and/or imagined future, more equitable, health worlds.

Sub Unit

• Sociology of Development Section / Putting Sociology to Work for a More Equitable Global Health

Presider

• Jonathan David Shaffer, University of Vermont

Individual Presentations

• Colonial Afterlives and the Gendered Politics of Global Health Governance: Polio Eradication in Pakistan - Sarah Ahmed, Providence College

• Food Safety and the Paradox of Development: Governance, Commodification and Environmental Health in China - Li Zhang, Amherst College

• Knowledge is Power? Expansions and Contractions of Professional Autonomy in International Nongovernmental Organizations - Derek Richardson, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Regional HIV Stigma and Adolescents' Sexual Debut in Sub-Saharan African Countries - Chanki Yoo, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; David A. Cort, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

• Research-Cluster-Led Initiatives and the Reconfiguration of Global Health Governance - Su Yeone Jeon, University of York

Session Organizers

• Jonathan David Shaffer, University of Vermont

• Lillian Walkover, University of California-San Diego