Racism-evasiveness in Belgian health(care) inequities research: reflections and recommendations - 30/05/26
, S. Derveeuw b, C. Affun-Adegbulu c, S. Berdai Chaouni dAbstract |
Research on racialized health(care) inequities in Belgium, although relatively scant, has increased in recent years, yet it remains marked by four key conceptual and methodological shortcomings: (1) the use of “migration background” as a proxy for racialization, (2) the individualization and culturalization of health(care) disparities, (3) the masking of racism as a determinant of health and healthcare experiences, and (4) a narrow focus on specific populations and conditions, alongside limited engagement with decolonial and intersectional approaches. Together, these tendencies conceal the pervasive forces through which racism operates and may inadvertently produce the inequities they seek to address. Drawing on decolonial and intersectional scholarship, we call for a fundamental reorientation of health(care) inequities research in Belgium. We propose four interrelated recommendations for future research: (1) centering racism as a fundamental cause of health(care) inequities (i.e., adopting a racism-based lens); (2) using the concepts of race, ethnicity, and migration background with greater conceptual precision and adopting racialization as an analytical lens; (3) centering the lived experiences of racialized people in a decolonial manner; and (4) adopting intersectional approaches. We argue that these recommendations are necessary to not only advance our understanding of racialized health(care) inequities in Belgium, but to also foster epistemic justice.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Belgium, Europe, Health, Healthcare, Inequities, Racism
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Vol 34
Article 101299- 2026 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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