Publication
Shaping the global: knowledge, experts, and U.S. universities in the emergence of global health
In this article, Lydie Cabane, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, discusses the emergence and diffusion of ‘global health’ as a concept. In addition to bringing a fresh perspective on the origins of global health, the paper contributes to the globalization debates by showing the co-constitution of scientific and political fields in globalization.
- Author
- Lydie Cabane
- Date
- 02 October 2022
- Links
- Read the full article here
The term ‘global health’ has become the dominant way to describe worldwide
interventions on health since the 2000s. Despite significant discussions about
the meaning of the term, there is still a lack of understanding about how it
came to dominate global thinking and the implications of such a shift. This
article traces the emergence and diffusion of ‘global health’ as a concept. It
focuses particularly on the role of US experts and universities in shaping the
‘global’. It uses a combination of interviews, literature review and archives to
trace its apparition in expert discourses and diffusion in universities. It shows
that the definition of ‘global health’ came out of and contributed to
American dominance in globalization. In addition to bringing a fresh
perspective on the origins of global health, the paper contributes to the
globalization debates by showing the co-constitution of scientific and
political fields in globalization.