Denied access: COVID-19, the epidermal border and Black health disparities

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Communication and Critical/ Cultural Studies

Volume

19

Issue

2

DOI

10.1080/14791420.2022.2063353

First Page

127

Last Page

133

Abstract

Public health research establishes clear links between race and health and identifies racism as a social determinant of health; however, little critical attention focuses on how public health discourses reproduce bordering mechanisms that reify Black health disparities. Centering the COVID-19 pandemic to explore how border logics reproduce such inequities, we introduce the “epidermal border” as an innovative and emancipatory framework for studying intersections of race and public health, drawing focus on the dermis (or skin) as our entry point of inquiry. This essay offers important insights into the theoretical and methodological development of more equitable public health interventions and practices.

Keywords

borders, COVID-19, epidermal border, public health, race

Department

Public Health and Recreation

Share

COinS