Globalization, Health, and the Environment

Reviews / Votes

This collection boasts a remarkably cohesive set of readings on the unwieldy theme of globalization and health. Collectively, contributors cross local-global, ecological, geopolitical, temporal, and disciplinary boundaries to tackle dimensions of political economy, environment, and disease while rarely losing sight of cultural context in illuminating the complex dynamics of world systems, resource degradation, and human well-being. . . .this ambitious work successfully unites basic and applied research to advance insight and advocate for action. * American Anthropologist * Global processes have brought about dramatic transformations in world markets, natural resources, and patterns of human health that affect us all, but do so unequally. Nowhere is this more evident than in the distribution of epidemic disease, which has disproportionately affected the marginalized and poor. The contributors to this collection have put forth a compelling case for how problems like epidemics are related to the existing economic order. A broad audience needs to be aware of the issues raised in this important set of essays. -- Paul Farmer, Presley Professor of Medical Anthropology, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School This volume is an important addition to Medical Anthropology and Global Health. It combines ten excellent case studies linking health and environments that have been transformed through local processes of globalization. The juxtaposition of the cases demonstrates the diversity of anthropological theoretical approaches applied to the interaction of globalization, health and environment. At the same time it demonstrates the power of a unified, integrative view of complex interactions that Anthropology can provide. The health consequences described here are more complex and interesting than simple one-to-one correlations like global warming and malaria rates. An excellent introduction provides a general framework for understanding the relationship of globalization and health. All aspects of culture-diet, productive technology, economic disparities, violence, and health policy-are implicated in the changing relationship between this culturally constructed global environment and human health. While this cases are alarming, they also provide hope. -- Peter J. Brown, Professor of Anthropology and Global Health, Emory University An insightful compendium documenting the interplay between the forces that shape the global environment and human health. Greg Guest and his authors present a range of vital topics along with well-researched and timely case studies that illuminate these contemporary concerns. A well-documented warning call. . . . -- Devra Lee Davis, author of When Smoke Ran Like Water: Takes of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution; University of Pittsburgh