The East Side Freedom Library invites you to a conversation, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice, with authors Raj Patel and Rupa Marya and participants in the University of Minnesota Public Health Course ” Global Health in Local Contexts.”

Register here to join this event on Zoom or watch it live streamed to ESFL’s Facebook page.

The Covid pandemic and the shocking racial disparities in its impact. The surge in inflammatory illnesses such as gastrointestinal disorders and asthma. Mass uprisings around the world in response to systemic racism and violence. Rising numbers of climate refugees. Our bodies, societies, and planet are inflamed.

Boldly original, Inflamed takes us on a medical tour through the human body—our digestive, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. Unlike a traditional anatomy book, this groundbreaking work illuminates the hidden relationships between our biological systems and the profound injustices of our political and economic systems, exploring not only access to health care but the very models of health that physicians practice.

Raj Patel, the renowned political economist and New York Times bestselling author of The Value of Nothing, teams up with the physician Rupa Marya to offer a radical new cure: the deep medicine of decolonization. Decolonizing heals what has been divided, reestablishing our relationships with the Earth and one another. Combining the latest scientific research and scholarship on globalization with the stories of Marya’s work with patients in marginalized communities, activist passion, and the wisdom of Indigenous groups, Inflamed points the way toward a deep medicine that has the potential to heal not only our bodies, but the world.

“Global Health in Local Contexts” immersed students in the study of health equity, the social and structural determinants of health, and the principles and practices of global health in local settings, including the East Side of St. Paul. The course was built around the discipline of “social medicine,” which integrates social theory to understand social forces that marginalize and harm communities, and builds collective power to challenge oppression and support the struggle for justice. Learners explored what creates conditions for healing, health, and safety in their own lived communities. Among the resources used in the course was Raj and Rupa’s book, Inflamed.

Join us to witness—and join in—this conversation

Free and open to all

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