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Social Capital, Social Policy, and Health Disparities: A Legacy of Political Advocacy in African-American Communities

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Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health

Abstract

This chapter examines the ways in which social capital has been used for political advocacy and civic engagement in health, focusing on the African-American experience. Further, it will give context to how African-Americans have wielded collective efficacy to combat racism, discrimination and its harmful by-products on health and access to health services. We highlight important historical and current developments within many African-American communities to build and sustain social capital. Many of these efforts are endemic to African American communities across the U.S., and others required multi-racial cooperation to build partnerships or vertical relationships (linking social capital) to influence policy change. Social capital movements have driven the state of African-American health in the post-slavery era, yet we argue that race/ethnicity has been left out of the conversation in research on social capital and health.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Science and Health Education, St. Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Suite 316, St. Louis, MO, 63104, USA

    Keon Gilbert P.H., M.A., M.P.A.

  2. University of Pennsylvania, 2237 Jackson Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19145, USA

    Lorraine Dean Sc.D.

Authors
  1. Keon Gilbert P.H., M.A., M.P.A.
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  2. Lorraine Dean Sc.D.
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Correspondence to Keon Gilbert P.H., M.A., M.P.A. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Huntington Ave. 677, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Ichiro Kawachi

  2. , Department of Epidemiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Me, Shikata-cho 2-5-1, Okayama City, 700-8558, Japan

    Soshi Takao

  3. Dept Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Huntington Ave. 677, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    S.V. Subramanian

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Gilbert, K., Dean, L. (2013). Social Capital, Social Policy, and Health Disparities: A Legacy of Political Advocacy in African-American Communities. In: Kawachi, I., Takao, S., Subramanian, S. (eds) Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7464-7_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7464-7_12

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