Decolonising global health: if not now, when?

Abstract

Author note Statement of positionality: We are graduate students from an elite postsecondary institution in the USA. We acknowledge that 'decolonization' first and foremost calls for a dismantling of white supremacist systems, repatriation of Indigenous land and reparations for colonialism and slavery, but in this piece, we use the term to acknowledge historical legacies of colonialism and redress power imbalances in global health.

Re-thinking global and public health projects during the COVID-19 pandemic context: Considerations and recommendations for early- and not-so-early-career researchers

“…Studies also show that scholars from the Global South are severely under-represented in leading academic journals from Europe and the United States, independent of the pandemic ( Medie & Kang, 2018 ). Authors share concerns that these inequities will be apparent and exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Büyüm et al, 2020 ). Lastly, with the astronomical surge in publications since the start of the pandemic, there are questions related to quality of these submissions and of the peer-review process ( Safieddine & Radwan, 2020 ).…”

Article processing charges are stalling the progress of African researchers: a call for urgent reforms

“…Third, there is a need to diversify the range of highimpact open access journals available to African researchers, as an essential pillar of ongoing efforts to decolonise academia (and global health). 25 There is now no reason why African journals should not be archived in frequently searched electronic databases. Like journals based in London, Boston or Geneva, African journals should aspire to be high-impact open access journals that have a global reach, with fees, discount and waiver policies set with African researchers at the centre of consideration.…”

Decolonising global health in the time of COVID-19

“…With equity in mind, those in the developed world who seek to practice medicine or conduct research in poorer nations will be driven to examine their own motives, recognise power dynamics, and empower the intended beneficiaries of their efforts, while in the long term supporting the independence of local initiatives. I am heartened to see ever increasing calls to, at long last, decolonise global health (Büyüm et al, 2020;Pai, 2020). I am hopeful that, in spite of the terrible toll it has inflicted, this crisis will also serve as an opportunity to establish more equitable partnerships and invest in local infrastructure and human resources to respond to this pandemic and the ones yet to come.…”