decolonization
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How do we stop AI-generated ‘poverty porn’ fake images?
There is an important and necessary conversation happening right now about the use of generative artificial intelligence in global health and humanitarian communications. Researchers like Arsenii Alenichev are correctly identifying a new wave of “poverty porn 2.0,” where artificial intelligence is used to generate stereotypical, racialized images of suffering – the very tropes many of…
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Why guidelines fail: on consequences of the false dichotomy between global and local knowledge in health systems
Global health continues to grapple with a persistent tension between standardized, evidence-based interventions developed by international experts and the contextual, experiential local knowledge held by local health workers. This dichotomy – between global expertise and local knowledge – has become increasingly problematic as health systems face unprecedented complexity in addressing challenges from climate change to…
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Brevity’s burden: The executive summary trap in global health
It was James Gleick who noted in his book “Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything” the societal shift towards valuing speed over depth: “We have become a quick-reflexed, multitasking, channel-flipping, fast-forwarding species. We don’t completely understand it, and we’re not altogether happy about it.” In global health, there’s a growing tendency to demand ever-shorter…
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Do Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) actually help global health?
This summary analyzes two important articles examining the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in global health: “Civil society organisations and global health initiatives: Problems of legitimacy” by Doyle and Patel (2008), and “Civil society in global health policymaking: a critical review” by Gómez (2018). While both articles challenge dominant assumptions about CSOs in global…
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Towards reimagined technical assistance: thinking beyond the current policy options
In the article “Towards reimagined technical assistance: the current policy options and opportunities for change”, Alexandra Nastase and her colleagues argues that technical assistance should be framed as a policy option for governments. It outlines different models of technical assistance: Governments may choose from this spectrum of roles for technical advisers in designing assistance programs…
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Colonialism and disease: tuberculosis in Algeria
Tuberculosis in Algeria as part of colonization: high death rates and false explanations During French colonial rule in Algeria (1830-1962), tuberculosis became a major killer disease. The French brought this deadly sickness with them when they invaded Algeria. Before the French came, tuberculosis was not a big problem for Algerian people. The disease spread quickly…
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