Week 5: How Do We Conceptualize Health?

Conceptualization of Health:

• Historical Views: Initially, health was conceptualized through the lens of disease and disability, emphasizing the absence of disease. This view, grounded in the 'medical model', is closely linked to Hippocrates' perception of the human body.
• Medical Model of Health: This model, influenced by Cartesian mind-body dualism, categorizes health issues as either biological or psychological. It distinguishes between disease (a bodily condition), illness (the individual's perception), and health (a relative state), focusing on addressing 'illness' to cure 'disease'.
• Wellness Model: Contrasts the medical model by viewing health beyond just the physical body, considering the mind's influence on health. This model defines health as the strength and ability to overcome illness, incorporating spiritual beliefs and practices into overall well-being.
• Environmental Model: Emphasizes the environment's impact on health, suggesting health relates to an organism's ability to maintain balance with its environment. Critiques of this model point to its overlook of broader factors affecting an individual's ability to adapt to their environment.

Influences on Health Perceptions:

• Cultural and Societal Influences: Health perceptions vary widely across individuals, the medical sector, and society. The concept of the 'body politic', introduced by Michel Foucault, highlights how systems like the medical and criminal justice systems exert power and knowledge over bodies, contributing to societal norms and expectations around health.

Week 6: Structural Violence & Implications on Health

Structural Violence:

• Definition: Introduced by Johan Galtung and expanded by Paul Farmer, structural violence refers to harm caused by societal structures, leading to unequal power and life chances. It manifests in the political economy of brutality, often overlooked in anthropological work.
• Examples: Property rights, influenced by colonization and racism, serve as a form of structural violence that perpetuates systemic oppression. The concept of 'whiteness' in health conceptualization reveals how racial belonging influences dominant health norms and expectations.

Biopower and Health:

• Biopower: Advanced by Foucault, biopower refers to the control over life exercised through science and technology on both individual and population levels. It involves normalization and socialization practices that lead individuals to regulate their own behavior.
• COVID-19 as an Example: The pandemic highlighted biopower through the distribution of health resources (test kits, masks, vaccines), prioritizing certain groups over others and revealing societal views on who is deemed 'worthy' of life.

Addressing Urban Health Inequities:

• Utilizing the concept of structural violence can inform policies aimed at reducing health inequities, promoting inclusive and redistributive welfare policies, and ensuring that non-white perspectives are integrated into political landscapes.