Health Equity in Brazil : Intersections of Gender, Race, and Policy

This book highlights Brazil’s successes and challenges in its quest to provide quality healthcare to all of its citizens, particularly women and Afro-Brazilians. By exploring how health activists and policy makers have attempted to address gender and racial health inequities from the early 1980s to the mid-2010s, this book provides new insights into the Brazilian government’s efforts to meet the needs of populations that are often marginalized on the basis of race and/or gender. The methodological approach used in this book combines analysis of health activism within the women’s movement, black movement, and black women’s movement with examination of health policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level. In addition, the intersectional approach used in this project places health policies for women in dialogue with health policies for the black population. Through use of an intersectional approach that views race, gender, and class as co-occurring and inseparable aspects of identity and social experience, as well as policy formulation, this book sheds light on the effectiveness of Brazilian health policies in meeting the needs of African-descendant women in the country. Brazil's leadership role in the fight against HIV has brought its public health system widespread praise. But the nation still faces serious health challenges and inequities. Though home to the world's second largest African-descendant population, Brazil failed to address many of its public health issues that disproportionately impact Afro-Brazilian women and men. Kia Lilly Caldwell draws on twenty years of engagement with activists, issues, and policy initiatives to document how the country's feminist health movement and black women's movement have fought for much-needed changes in women's health. Merging ethnography with a historical analysis of policies and programs, Caldwell offers a close examination of institutional and structural factors that have impacted the quest for gender and racial health equity in Brazil. As she shows, activists have played an essential role in policy development in areas ranging from maternal mortality to female sterilization. Caldwell's insightful portrait of the public health system also details how its weaknesses contribute to ongoing failures and challenges while also imperiling the advances that have been made.| Cover Title Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Feminist Dreams and Nightmares: The Struggle for Gender Health Equity in Brazil 2. Black Women's Health Activism and the Development of Intersectional Health Policy 3. Mapping the Development of Health Policies for the Black Population: From the Centenary of Aboli 4. Strategies to Challenge Institutional Racism and Colorblindness in the Health Sector 5. The Alyne Case: Maternal Mortality, Intersectional Discrimination, and the Human Right to Health 6. Making Race and Gender Visible in Brazil's HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Policy, Advocacy, and Research Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index | "Groundbreaking in that it details specific health policies that have been advocated for and implemented in Brazil to ameliorate racial inequality in the health sector as well as society at large. Caldwell's intersectional approach and centering of black women's experiences and activism is unique."—Erica L. Williams, author of Sex Tourism in Bahia: Ambiguous Entanglements "Caldwell's work demonstrates both analytical and methodological rigor that contributes to academia, activism, and public policy. This book is vital for anyone interested in health policy, the relationship between national and international political institutions, grassroots organizing, and mobilizing intersectionality." — Medical Anthropology Quarterly "Caldwell's richly detailed study offers unique insights into the racial, class, and gender dimensions of health activism and public policy in Brazil, paying particular attention to the intersections evident in HIV/AIDS and maternal mortality policies. The book shines new light on rarely examined facets of Afro-Brazilian women's struggles. The first full-length monograph available in English to deploy an intersectional and transnational analytical lens, it draws on over two decades of engagement with key activists, issues, and texts crucial to Black, feminist, and Afro-descendant women's efforts to promote health equity. The book will be most welcome by rights advocates and scholars seeking to enhance gendered racial justice in Brazil, the U.S., and beyond."—Sonia E. Alvarez, coeditor of Beyond Civil Society: Activism, Participation, and Protest in Latin America | Kia Lilly Caldwell is an associate professor of African, African American, and Diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of Negras in Brazil: Re-envisioning Black Women, Citizenship, and the Politics of Identity. This Project Examines How Structural And Institutional Factors Contributed And Continue To Contribute To Poor Health Outcomes For Scores Of Nameless Afro-brazilian Women And Men. Despite Having The Second Largest African-descendant Population In The World, Brazil Failed To Develop Policies To Address Health Issues That Disproportionately Affect Afro-brazilians Until The Early 21st Century. Additionally, Brazil Does Not Have A Long Tradition Of Research Or Policies Focusing On Racial Or Ethnic Health Disparities. While The Country Has Risen To Become A World Leader In The Fight Against Hiv/aids, It Continues To Face Ongoing Challenges In Ensuring Health Equity For Afro-brazilians. This Project Highlights How Brazil Has Succeeded And Failed At Certain Challenges In Its Quest To Provide Quality Healthcare For All Its Citizens, But Particularly To Afro-brazilian Women And Men, And Examines The Development Of The Feminist Health Movement And Black Women's Movement, Which Developed Significant Policy Interventions Related To Women's Health. Kia Caldwell Assembles A Policy History Of Brazilian Feminist Health Movement To Analyze How Health Activists And Policy Makers Have Attempted To Address Gender And Racial Health Inequities From The Early 1980s To The Present.--provided By Publisher. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Feminist Dreams And Nightmares: The Struggle For Gender Health Equity In Brazil -- 2. Black Women's Health Activism And The Development Of Intersectional Health Policy -- 3. Mapping The Development Of Health Policies For The Black Population: From The Centenary Of Abolition To The Statute Of Racial Equality -- 4. Strategies To Challenge Institutional Racism And Color Blindness In The Health Sector -- 5. The Alyne Case: Maternal Mortality, Intersectional Discrimination, And The Human Right To Health In Brazil -- 6. Making Race And Gender Visible In Brazil's Hiv/aids Epidemic: Policy, Advocacy, And Research. Kia Lilly Caldwell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "This project examines how structural and institutional factors contributed and continue to contribute to poor health outcomes for scores of nameless Afro-Brazilian women and men. Despite having the second largest African-descendant population in the world, Brazil failed to develop policies to address health issues that disproportionately affect Afro-Brazilians until the early 21st century. Additionally, Brazil does not have a long tradition of research or policies focusing on racial or ethnic health disparities. While the country has risen to become a world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, it continues to face ongoing challenges in ensuring health equity for Afro-Brazilians. This project highlights how Brazil has succeeded and failed at certain challenges in its quest to provide quality healthcare for all its citizens, but particularly to Afro-Brazilian women and men, and examines the development of the feminist health movement and black women's movement, which developed significant policy interventions related to women's health. Kia Caldwell assembles a policy history of Brazilian feminist health movement to analyze how health activists and policy makers have attempted to address gender and racial health inequities from the early 1980s to the present."-- Résumé de l'éditeur