Centering Local Knowledge to Address the Imbrication of Settler Colonialism and Global Health : Comment on "The Rhetoric of Decolonizing Global Health Fails to Address the Reality of Settler Colonialism: Gaza as a Case in Point"

Abstract

In the article "The Rhetoric of Decolonizing Global Health Fails to Address the Reality of Settler Colonialism: Gaza as a Case in Point," Engebretsen and Baker call on researchers to re-examine the ways we employ the rhetoric of decolonization in global health. They critique the "reformist" strand of decolonization which fails to mitigate structural inequities resulting from settler colonialism. I extend the authors’ work by considering how researchers might harness decolonial approaches to identify and nuance the ways power relations, on a regional, national, or global level, lead to unnecessary suffering. I assert that this requires centering Indigenous voices and local knowledge and de-centering Eurocentric frameworks and presumed universality. My hope is that by being precise with the language we use to denounce atrocities, this will engender commitments and accountabilities that determine whether the response coming from global health leaders moves us towards increased health equity rather than empty rhetoric.