A spotlight on race and inequality has highlighted the colonial nature of historic medical institutions. But decolonisation means far more than diversification, finds Mun-Keat Looi
“I feel like everything’s being decolonised these days,” says Lioba Hirsch, a social anthropologist at the University of Edinburgh and author of a study into the colonial foundations of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
“On one hand, that’s encouraging because people think it’s something worth engaging in or thinking about. On the other hand, ‘decolonisation’ increasingly means diversifying staff, diversifying students, and trying to close the awarding gap between white students and other students rather than tackling the root problems it has caused.”
So, what else should decolonisation mean?
University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, describes itself as the “flagship tertiary healthcare institution in Nigeria” offering “world class” training, res
We need to reframe the approach to decolonising global health by centring the Global South as primary actor and leader, writes Muneera Rasheed
Calls to decolonise global health and tackle historic and systemic injustices in the field have intensified in recent years, but sometimes the way the argument is presented can be counterproductive.
For those of us in the Global South, the discourse can make us feel that our experiences are invalid. We are often portrayed as helpless and needing to be rescued,1 not by white saviours as in the past, but by well meaning actors in the Global North who are themselves struggling with the legacy of white supremacy, such as racism. This portrayal oversimplifies the power dynamics in the Global South. An essential element of coloniality is that it reproduces itself in colonised countries in the Global South by using incentives such as granting access to the decision makers in coloniser countries in the Global North. The current discourse overlooks thi
Liam Smeeth is director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a white Englishman helping one of the world’s foremost global health research institutions face up to its colonial roots and legacy (doi:10.1136/bmj.p2232).1 The very founding basis of LSHTM was to prop up and extend colonialism. Is he part of the problem or the solution? Should he make way for somebody more representative of the communities that LSHTM works with?
I’m from a former colony, now editor in chief of a journal that undoubtedly built its status, influence, and wealth from the fruits of empire and continues to thrive on the advantage that colonial power delivered. I know all too well the ongoing effects of colonialism on people and nations that were colonised and that, although no longer colonised in law, remain colonised by economics, politics, and inequities. Does that make me a hypocrite, a sellout?
Lara Akinnawonu is an early career doctor in the UK with a firm belief that the BMA, her me
A new podcast and article series in The BMJ examines the legacy of colonialism and the progress needed to make meaningful change
There is growing demand for decolonisation, described recently by Annabel Sowemimo, author of Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare , as a desire to examine how systems of race, class, and gender have been shaped by colonial history and how we move to establish a more equitable society.1 Across the UK and Europe, for example, newspapers, museums, charities, universities, and other organisations are reckoning with their pasts born of European colonialism that sought to invade, control, extract resources, and impose western views on much of the rest of the world. Today’s world is shaped by this colonialism the wealth of high income countries was generated by land theft and slavery, establishing a legacy of power and exploitation that persists to this day. Decolonisation is thus not just about former colonies gaining political ind
Decolonizing Global Health: A Moment To Reflect On A Movement forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.