On Topic

The purpose of this page is to provide a clear framework of the type of content that we think belongs in this wiki. The What is on topic? conversation continues.

Emphasis on public health

We should define what we see as public health (or radical public health). It'd be really interesting to see some pages on different perspectives on public health. For example: Global Health, Nursing & Public Health, Maternal & Child Health, Environmental Health, Occupational Health & Worker Safety — these are different branches of or specialties within public health that could benefit from a resource of more radical perspectives.

Emphasis on radical

Radical Public Health was in part founded in response to public health curricula that we think inadequately address several topics of extreme importance to public health, including:

  • militarism, war prevention, and peace promotion
  • mass incarceration and the prison nation
  • neoliberalism
  • trauma and sexual violence
  • protest and dissent as key tools to achieving health equity
  • facing and overcoming economic and political oppression and structural violence.

The goal of achieving health equity requires that these subjects and others be thoroughly covered in both scholarship and practice of public health. We promote active discourse and action to address such issues of extreme importance to the health of the public.

Emphasis on wiki

What is a wiki covers the basics. Forgetfulness as filter is a patterned way to keep things on topic when the topic has fuzzy boundaries. If we focus our efforts on building a strong community of radical public health users and editors, and each uses the wiki for a while, drifts away from it long enough to forget some of the details, and then returns and continues contributing, off-topic pages will just be forgotten. On topic pages will proliferate, improve in quality, link to each other, dominate Recent Changes, and get tagged and indexed. Off topic pages will be lost in the wastelands of the List all pages.

Good style

  • We have a casual, accessible style. Not too academic — it's fine to just write what you know.
  • We source our statements and provide resources. Write good overviews and point readers toward resources for further study or social engagement.
  • It's easy to argue that anything is public health. Every article should point out the topic's relevance to public health.
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