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Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions of Health pp 49–64Cite as

The Health of Indigenous Communities

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Abstract

Indigenous peoples in all settler societies have poorer health outcomes than settler groups. This chapter outlines the history of colonization in settler societies, the role of the state in controlling and disenfranchising indigenous peoples, and the health disparities that are a result of this historical legacy. Various examples of indigenous communities are used, including those in North America and New Zealand, with a detailed case study of indigenous life in Australia. The chapter addresses various explanations for why health disparities continue to exist between indigenous and settler populations, as well as the evolution of a range of health initiatives to try to mitigate these disparities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Kevin Dew & Allison Kirkman

  2. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

    Anne Scott

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  1. Kevin Dew
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  2. Anne Scott
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Dew, K., Scott, A., Kirkman, A. (2016). The Health of Indigenous Communities. In: Social, Political and Cultural Dimensions of Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31508-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31508-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31506-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31508-9

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