Social Justice in Public Health: Critical Perspectives on the Social Determinants of Health

Social Justice in Public Health is the first edited volume to critically assess the foundational concepts underpinning the social determinants of health (SDoH), charting paradigmatic shifts in public health as well as critiquing the depoliticization of the SDoH concept itself. Featuring chapters from scholars across public health and the social and political sciences, as well as health professionals and policy experts, each section draws on theoretical and empirical examples of social justice in relation to health issues. Split into three parts to provide a holistic framework, Part I looks at the theoretical complexities of key issues such as race, culture, gender and class, while Part II assesses the role of social movements that have challenged long-held assumptions about the SDoH, including chapters on reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights and mental health. Part III examines the advocacy and activism that has been used so far to create positive social change, including case studies across a range of policy areas. Shining a critical public health spotlight on the social determinants of health, this important and insightful volume will prove fascinating reading for students and researchers across Public Health, Sociology and Political Science.