Episode 21 of the Saving the World webinar series features Professor Fran Baum.
In the 19th century, Marx theorised that alienation would always be a feature of capitalism. This webinar will consider the extent to which this is true in the 2020s and what the pathways are from alienation to poor health.
This consideration will be based on ongoing studies being conducted at Stretton Health Equity: 1) a narrative literature review on alienation’s impacts on health; 2) how employment affects suicide; 3) the impact of privatisation on health and equity; and 4) a research agenda on alienation and health to examine the nature of the contemporary relationship.
The narrative literature review highlights the ways in which public health researchers have used the concept of alienation, especially in relation to conditions of employment, but also how modern patterns of consumption fuels alienation. There are clear links between unemployment and suicide; links to other aspects of work organisation are less well-researched but some indications of the links are available. Privatisation also increases alienation, and Professor Baum and her team have used the concept of ‘enshittification’ to explore how this happens. Finally, they have proposed a research agenda for alienation and health to examine the relationship more closely.
While accepting Marx’s thesis that capitalism inevitably produces alienation among all members of society, this presentation will consider whether its impacts can be alleviated through public policies.
Read 'Twenty-first century alienation and health: a research agenda'.
The ‘Saving the World’ webinar series, presented by the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, releases a new episode each month, discussing the intersections between climate change, inequity and human health. The webinars focus on actions that enable transformative change away from the harmful consumptogenic system to systems that promote good health, social equity and environmental wellbeing.
Event Speakers
Professor Fran Baum
Professor Fran Baum AO is a public health social scientist with a special interest in researching about and advocating for healthy, equitable and sustainable societies. She is Director, Stretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide and an NHMRC Investigator Leadership Fellow.
Professor Sharon Friel
Prof Sharon Friel is an ARC Laureate Fellow, Prof of Health Equity and Director of the Australian Research Centre for Health Equity, the School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia and co-Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity.
Dr Hridesh Gajurel
Dr Hridesh Gajurel is a Laureate Research Fellow with the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse in the School of Regulation and Global Governance. He is a political economist who specialises in comparative capitalism, corporate governance, financialisation, and new institutional theory.