The Dahdaleh Institute is engaging in a series of conversations on decolonizing global health research.

Following the widespread protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, we as affiliates at York University Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research drafted and signed a statement that reflects the ways structural racism and violence intersect with our areas of work. In the statement we committed to work towards decolonising global health and addressing racial inequality in and through the research that we conduct at the institute.

The global Covid-19 pandemic is a strong reminder that all public health and humanitarian emergencies, likewise the evolving planetary health crisis, and the related political fallout outs, follow the fissures of gendered and racialized flows of wealth and power. Case numbers and mortality rates have everywhere tracked those considered of ‘lesser’ value.

These questions stem from our commitment to acknowledge personal and collective biases and positionalities in relation to global health and humanitarianism. We see these conversations as a fundamental step to foster the elaboration of methodologies, collaborations and actions that centre decolonial and intersectional lenses.

The seminar series will be organised throughout the Fall of 2020. A monthly conversation will be held starting in September. We will invite guest speakers to share their expertise and experience, and to guide our conversations. This will be followed by a final seminar in December when we as a collective discuss ways forward for the Institute. The seminars will, with the permission of all speakers and participants, be recorded and a paper emphasizing the main themes, debates and conclusions will be written and shared as we see fit.

The series is convened by:
Maissaa Almustafa, Research Fellow, Global Health & Wellness of Refugees & Migrants
Linn Biorklun Belliveau, Research Fellow, Health, Migration, and Climate Change
James Stinson, Research Fellow, Planetary Health & Education

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