Between coloniality and care: Contributions of the Social and Human Sciences to rethinking Public Health

Abstract

This essay discusses the contemporary challenges facing the contributions of the social and human sciences to Public Health through the incorporation of decolonial epistemologies and an intersectional perspective. We start from the premise that health research remains deeply marked by Eurocentric epistemological frameworks, which frequently neglect the intersection of race, gender, and class in producing health inequities in Brazil. Based on a critical reflection on academic training, research practices, and scientific validation mechanisms, we question the persistence of epistemicide and forms of knowledge extractivism that obscure the knowledge produced by Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and other historically subalternized groups. We argue that incorporating decolonial epistemologies, the encounter of different forms of knowledge, and intersectional approaches can broaden the understanding of the social determinants of health and help transform care practices, research, and public policy formulation. We conclude that the Social and Human Sciences must constitute a structural axis of Public Health, guiding the production of knowledge committed to equity, social justice, and the transformation of health practices.