- Mar 11, 2015
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Racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and the determination of health
Introduction
Racism, xenophobia, and discrimination exist in every society, causing avoidable disease and premature death among groups that are already disadvantaged.Such discrimination underpins assaults on people seen as others, whether through institutionalised discriminatory policies, in communities where inequalities are entrenched, or through individuals playing a role in systemic oppressions and interpersonal aggressions. Although the types of discrimination take different forms across time and space, the root causes are situated in efforts to maintain historic power structures. Understanding and challenging discrimination and its underlying ideologies is central to public health and the promotion of social equity. Equally, by ignoring these realities, health professionals are complicit in the structural violence that leads to ill health