Social Justice in Public Health: Critical Perspectives on the Social Determinants of Health

Social Justice in Public Health is the first edited volume to critically assess the foundational concepts underpinning the social determinants of health (SDoH), charting paradigmatic shifts in public health as well as critiquing the depoliticization of the SDoH concept itself.

Featuring chapters from scholars across public health and the social and political sciences, as well as health professionals and policy experts, each section draws on theoretical and empirical examples of social justice in relation to health issues. Split into three parts to provide a holistic framework, Part I looks at the theoretical complexities of key issues such as race, culture, gender and class, while Part II assesses the role of social movements that have challenged long-held assumptions about the SDoH, including chapters on reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights and mental health. Part III examines the advocacy and activism that has been used so far to create positive social change, including case studies across a range of policy areas.

Shining a critical public health spotlight on the social determinants of health, this important and insightful volume will prove fascinating reading for students and researchers across Public Health, Sociology and Political Science.

Richard Chenhall is a Medical Anthropologist at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, including research on substance misuse and treatment, sexual health, youth experiences, digital storytelling, and the social determinants of health.

Kate Senior is a Medical Anthropologist in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle. Her research is community-led, helping to support the capacity, health and wellbeing of young people and remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern territory.

Natalie Jovanovski is a Health Sociologist and Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences and Social Equity Research Centre, RMIT University. Her research focuses on the role that social inequalities play in shaping people’s relationships with food, eating and their bodies, especially women.