Decolonizing global health
Global health is in the midst of a re-examination of its roots and future, driven by calls to “decolonize” the field. Advocates have argued that longstanding patterns of power, authorship, and agenda-setting—often dominated by institutions in high-income countries—have constrained equity and innovation. The movement seeks to shift decision-making, funding, and recognition toward scholars and communities in the Global South. Yet the effort is also contested. Others have argued that decolonization risks symbolic reform, rhetorical excess, or the loss of valuable global coordination. The conversation exposes deep questions about how global health should balance justice with pragmatism, accountability with autonomy, and local knowledge with shared science. What does this teach us, if anything, about the future of public health’s global work?
Pre-reads
- Khan M, Abimbola S, Aloudat T, Capobianco E, Hawkes S, Rahman-Shepherd A. Decolonising global health in 2021: a roadmap to move from rhetoric to reform. BMJ Global Health. 2021;6(3):e005604. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005604
- Kumar R, Khosla R, McCody D. Decolonising global health research: Shifting power for equity beyond rhetoric. PLOS Glob Public Health 2024;4(4):e0003141. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003141
- Bump JB, Aniebo I. Colonialism, malaria, and the decolonization of global health. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2022;2(9):e0000936. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000936.
- Hellowell M, Nayna Schwerdtle P. Powerful ideas? Decolonisation and the future of global health. BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e006924. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006924
- Abimbola S, Pa Mi. Will global health survive its decolonisation? The Lancet. 2020;396(10263):1627-1628. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32417-X
- Contractor SQ, Dasgupta J. Is decolonisation sufficient? BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e011564. doi:10.1136/ bmjgh-2022-011564