166841 Class, Race(ism) and Health: A Step toward Reintegration

Monday, November 5, 2007: 2:30 PM

Martha Livingston, PhD , Associate Professor of Health and Society, Old Westbury, NY
  
It's not simply that we have to get past the concept of ‘disparities;' it's also that we need to understand what we mean by ‘class,' what we mean by ‘race(ism).'

The debate has for too long centered on ‘it's really all about class' or ‘it's really all about race,' as though those who see class as central are ignoring racism, and those who focus on racism fail to understand class.

Besides creating a truly unfortunate split among otherwise intelligent, committed change agents, this false dichotomy fails to recognize that these phenomena work through each other, not merely ‘interacting;' they're not two separate concepts at all.

The paper will examine the history of class formation in the United States and touch on health outcomes.

Learning Objectives:
Particpants will understand what we mean by ‘class,’ what we mean by ‘race(ism). Participants will understand that the false dichotomy of class or race fails to recognize that these phenomena work through each other, not merely ‘interacting;’ and they’re not two separate concepts at all.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Beyond Disparities
See more of: Socialist Caucus