Political Economy of Health and One Health SIG's Workshop
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Clarendon Room C - Map Location Click Here
10:00am to 4:00pm
Power, Privilege and Priorities:
Decolonising Political Economy of Health and One Health Approaches
Keynote Speakers
Power, privilege and priorities: Decolonising Political Economy of Health and One Health Approaches
Capitalism and corporate interests have been a major driver of colonialism from the 18th to 21st centuries, which has led to increasing inequalities in economic development and health between and within countries. Military imperialism of the past is giving way to more sophisticated, digital ways for the ‘colonialists’ to control us and the ecosystem. Control is also exercised by the stories and narratives that we are exposed to and that we take to be the ‘truth’.
Even as public health practitioners we are caught up by, and our practice and behaviours are influenced by, these narratives. Does this mean that any political economy of health approach that is in opposition to corporate interests, or any One Health approach (an integrated, unifying approach to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems), is inherently decolonised? Or does the colonial mindset still shape the way that we characterise, prioritise and address public health challenges? How does the prevailing political climate inform current processes and interactions between science and policies in the practical implementation of One Health? If we seek to achieve a truly equitable future, how do we prioritise decolonisation to address the injustices of the past and ensure that we don’t perpetuate the same mistakes?
This interactive workshop aims to provide attendees with an opportunity to hear and engage with diverse perspectives to generate genuinely reflective, critical and challenging discussions on the past, present and future of colonialism in public health, particularly the political economy of health and One Health.
Questions to be considered:
-
How has public health been complicit in colonial practices of the past? How does colonial framing contribute to the way public health is researched and practiced in the present?
-
How might this framing influence how we approach local and global public health issues with a political economy lens?
-
How might this framing influence how we approach local and global public health issues with a One Health lens?
-
How do we examine, reflect and correct this in the future?
-
Where is the intersection between political economy and One Health, and what are the implications of the intersection?
-
What is the current agenda for a political economy of health approach? Who sets the agenda? Who should set the agenda?
-
How do we ensure that our approaches do not further disempower, drive inequities, or exacerbate power imbalance?
-
What can we learn from the successes in public health in the Global North to improve our contribution to justice within countries?
-
How do we reconcile the tension between the public health advancement and adverse externalities of economic growth, when we have been the beneficiaries thus far?
-
What should we do differently to ensure that voices and knowledge of the colonised are empowered and valued?
Ahead of the Commerce, Economy, Trade and Public Health Conference, this workshop will explore these ideas and questions to provide a critical lens to take into the Conference and into future research, policy and advocacy.
FACE-TO-FACE ATTENDANCE ONLY - Registration is a must; spaces are limited
Workshop cost: $30 PEH-OH SIG members, $50 others, $15 concession/student & First Nations attendees
Click HERE to register for the PEH-OH workshop on Sunday 17 November
Professor Yin Paradies is an Aboriginal animist anarchist actionist who is committed to understanding and interrupting the devastating impacts of modern societies. He seeks mutuality of becoming and embodied kinship with all life through transformed ways of knowing, being, doing, perceiving and relating. Yin is a Wakaya man and Chair in Race Relations at Deakin University where he conducts research on topics such as racism, anti-racism, cultural competence, Indigenous knowledges and decolonisation. Yin has authored over 260 publications (cited over 21,000 times), been awarded grants worth $50 million and is an invited reviewer for more than 130 journals.
Professor Yin Paradies
Professor Robyn Alders AO
Robyn Alders is a veterinarian and an Honorary Professor with the ANU Development Policy Centre, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College in London and Veterinary Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University. She is also a Senior Consulting Fellow with the Chatham House Global Health Programme. Robyn is a Commissioner with the Lancet–PPATS Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover: reducing the risk of pandemics through primary prevention. For over 30 years, she has worked closely with smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, South and SE Asia, and Oceania as a veterinarian, researcher, and colleague, with an emphasis on the development of sustainable infectious disease control in animals in resource-limited areas in support of food and nutrition security, income generation, wildlife conservation, and public health. Robyn’s research and development interests include food and nutrition security/systems, One Health, gender equity, inclusive policies, and science communication.
RUN SHEET FOR THE DAY
9:30am - 10:00am - ARRIVAL & COFFEE
Session 1: 10:00am – 12:15pm
Welcome & Introductions
Acknowledgement of Country
Keynote speakers, Q&A and discussions
•Professor Yin Paradies
•Professor Robyn Alders AO
12:15pm – 1:15pm - LUNCH
Session 2 : 1:15pm – 2:45pm
1. Breakout work groups: Political Economy of Health and One Health
2. Plenary discussion about the workshop learnings:
•Intersection with the Commerce, Economy, Trade & Public Health conference themes
•Future research, policy and advocacy
2:45pm – 3:15pm - AFTERNOON TEA
Session 3: 3:15pm – 4:00pm
Planning discussion: SEAP Regional People’s Health Movement planned for October 2025 (Provisional title “The Political Economy of Indigenous Health and Decolonialisation”)
•Brief report from delegates of the fifth People’s Health Assembly, 5PHA, Argentina (April 2024)
Wrap-up and close.