Defining, conceptualizing and characterizing racism in health research

Abstract

The examination of racism as a determinant of health is an emerging area of research. This paper examines and expands on existing research approaches in relation to three levels at which coherence and conceptual clarity can be improved: in defining and theorizing racism, in conceptualizing how racism may relate to health and in characterizing racism as an exposure that can be operationalized and measured. A definition of racism in relation to the broader concept of privilege/ oppression is detailed along with a discussion of the implications of this definition in relation to the concept of power, the perpetration of privilege/oppression, intention vs. effect and objective vs. subjective raci..