Art created nearly a century ago is helping York University students better understand how social and economic systems influence health.
A recent study led by health studies undergraduate student Nastaran Ghanbari and Faculty of Health Professor Dennis Raphael explores how historical political art can deepen learning about health equity and social justice, and highlights why addressing these systems matter.
To do this, Ghanbari and Raphael presented drawings by German artist George Grosz to York University health studies students and alumni and recorded their responses. The art, created during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, strongly criticizes poverty, inequality and capitalism by depicting exploitation and hardship.
Participants were asked to consider whether the scenes and messages felt relevant to contemporary Canadian society. Many found that they did, says Ghanbari.
“Participants described the images as engaging but also unsettling,” says Ghanbari, first author for the study published in Medical Humanities. “More importantly, they said the drawing reflected realities they recognize in their own lives and communities including rising inequality, insecure work, barriers to accessing basic needs and the sharp contrast of hardships experienced across social classes.”
Several themes emerged repeatedly from students’ interpretations of the art: class relations, health effects of poor living and working conditions, the limitations of charity and the difficulty of achieving meaningful social change.
“For students, seeing these issues portrayed visually helped reinforce ideas they encounter in coursework, but in a more immediate and emotional way,” says Raphael. “The drawings made abstract concepts such as ‘social determinants of health’ feel concrete and personal.”
Raphael says although Grosz’s art was created in response to economic and political conditions of Weimar-era Germany, the drawings raised questions that students felt were still unresolved.
Grosz’s art shows how inequality, power and class structure daily life and how those structures can influence health outcomes over time, say Raphael. Low wages and housing insecurity, for instance, limit people’s ability to stay healthy.
The research project helped students consider how policies, labour conditions and wealth distribution are factors influencing health outcomes.
Students also reported potential for arts-based approaches as a tool for mobilizing students, health care workers and the public to advocate for action that addresses inequities.
This, he says, is an example of how arts and humanities play a crucial role in health education. Through images, stories, history and discussion, students see how well-being is not just about personal behaviour, but is a result of larger systemic forces.
“The findings from this research reinforce the idea that understanding health inequities requires more than data and policy analysis alone,” says Raphael. “For York students preparing to work in policy and community settings, the ability to recognize these patterns is essential.”
The study follows up on earlier research from Raphael and health policy MA alumna Eberechukwu Akadinma, which also examined the relevance of Grosz’s work for promoting social justice and health equity in contemporary society.
Together, the two studies contribute to a growing body of research showing how humanities‑based approaches can strengthen health education.