Abstract:

Objectives:
We sought to explore how public health faculty conceptualize, engage in, and are supported in conducting anti-oppressive research, and practice at accredited schools of public health (SPHs) across the United States.

Methods:
We used purposive sampling to identify public health faculty who engaged in anti-oppressive practice and research. Between January and April 2020, twenty-six faculty from nine SPHs and one school of medicine participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted on Zoom.

Results:
Participants conceptualized anti-oppression as engaging in critical consciousness to dismantle systems of oppression; some did not find any differences between anti-oppression and social justice practice. Having institutional support and a political climate that favored social justice movements in the United States, were considered facilitators of anti-oppressive research at SPHs. However, a lack of institutional interest and incentive structures prevented more meaningful engagement in anti-oppressive work.

Conclusions:
Findings suggest that incorporating anti-oppression into public health research and practice requires greater commitment from SPHs—including monetary commitments (e.g., salary structures), ethical commitments (e.g., school values), and resource commitments (e.g., implementation tools).

Keywords:

Anti-oppression, pedagogy, public health.