Practicing
Anti-Oppressive Partnership
(Module 2)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After working through this module, every GROW team member should be able to:
Interrogate their current GlobeMed partnership and identify areas for improvement
Transform their partnership over time through anti-oppressive actions, regular reflection, and adaptation
PRE-WORK (30 minutes)
Do this on your own
GROW Team Member: READ & REFLECT
Whether at home or abroad, previously colonized groups are often excluded from decision-making that impacts their health. This must change if we are to achieve GlobeMed’s vision of a world in which health—the ability to not only survive, but thrive—is possible for all people.
In order to counteract the longstanding effects of colonization and neocolonialism in global health and be more anti-oppressive in our GlobeMed partnerships, we must seek to understand the root causes of health inequities and interrogate the how the current systems we operate within continue to perpetuate those inequities.
What is oppression?
Oppression is the use of power to maintain dominance through systems or interpersonal behavior. When we think about global health equity, oppression results in poorer health outcomes for those with less power due to lack of resources.
What is colonization?
Colonization is an exploitative system that is historical, political, social, and economic where one group violently takes control over another, creating an imbalance of power.
In 2015, Vox published an article that illustrated just how widespread European colonization was. Only five countries, in orange in the map below, were spared from total or partial European control during the colonial era, which ran roughly from the 1500s to the 1960s. (Source: Vox)
It’s important to understand that colonization doesn’t function in the past tense. While many previously colonized countries may no longer be under Western rule, the effects of colonization continue to ripple, affecting health outcomes for generations. Even seemingly "helpful" systems like global health perpetuate health inequities. Just look at the context of global COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
“Systems of oppression are durable, and they tend to reinvent themselves.”
Glenn Martin, criminal justice reform advocate
What is global health?
According to the Consortium of Universities in Global Health (2008), global health “is a concept fabricated by developed countries to explain what is regular practice in developing nations."
Have you thought about who makes decisions in the field of global health? Who get the power to determine what is best practice? Who controls the resources and distribution of resources needed to for all people to be healthy? In many ways, the field of global health sits neatly on top of the same power structures as colonization. And while the participants in global health, including each of us, are often well intentioned, seeking to "help" previously colonized nations, good intentions are not enough to change health outcomes.
At GlobeMed, we aim to be part of the movement to decolonize global health by transforming the the ways we work with out grassroots partner organizations (both locally and internationally) and throughout our careers. We hold our partner contacts and community members as the experts of their own experience and we shift unrestricted resources in many forms, including money, institutional support from our universities, and the collective support of our members' knowledge, innovation, skills, and experience.
We do not do this because our partners "need us," but because they have invited us to work alongside them in solidarity for global health equity.
In this module, we learn from Stephanie Kimou, founder of Population Works Africa, to deepen our understanding of (1) the "colonial hangover," (2) transparent, equitable global health partnership, and (3) the white gaze. Further, we will reflect on our existing partnership practices and identify areas where we can be more anti-oppressive moving forward.
RECOMMENDED FURTHER PRE-READING:
READ: It's Time To End The Colonial Mindset In Global Health
READ: INGOs can help dismantle development's 'white gaze,' PopWorks Africa founder says
EXPLORE (30 mins)
Do this together
WATCH
As a team, watch Stephanie Kimou’s Taking Collective Action: Decolonizing Development Session from the 2020 GlobeMed Leadership Institute (from 5:05 to 37:00).
Feel free to pause when team members have questions or points they would like to bring up; the point of watching this together rather than apart as pre-work is to encourage discussion and exploration!
**You can choose to continue past the 37 minute mark to hear the questions + reflections GlobeMed chapter leaders discussed with Stephanie.**
DISCERN (30 mins)
Do this together
DISCUSS
As a team, reflect on what you learned through the pre-work and the session.
Based on your experiences or stories from previous chapter/GROW team members, where do you see power inequities play out in your GlobeMed partnership? Consider practices related to fundraising, storytelling and media, relationship-building, project-based collaboration, transparency, trust, and more.
Are there any specific practices that you want to add or adjust to make your partnership more equitable? If you are having a virtual GROW experience, is there anything specifically related to that work dynamic for you to think about?
For virtual GROW experiences: Are there any new barriers to equitable partnership that may exist due to GROW being virtual? If so, how will you address these barriers with your partner organization?