Racism in Academic Medicine

Building upon the anthropological concept of embodiment, this section explores the intricate relationship between societal structures and individual bodily experiences, a critical theme in Dorothy Roberts' "Fatal Invention." Embodiment, in this context, refers to the way in which our social and political environments—and the systemic biases embedded within them—manifest within our physical bodies and health outcomes. Roberts compellingly illustrates how racial inequality is embodied, contributing to disparate health outcomes across different racial and ethnic groups. Engaging with this theme allows us to better understand how systemic racism and other forms of social inequality quite literally 'get under the skin,' shaping our health in profound ways.

“We are bearing witness to the embodiment of Black women’s pain from scientific racism under the guise of national security and being less than human, subjects, objects and animals at the whim of white supremacist, ableist, misogynist violence as an extension of population control, eugenic and slavery. The performs begin by replicating the sterilization, the needling, the forced physical and emotional interrogation, the tearing and ripping of experimentation committed on Black women for centuries while images of the archaic instruments used are overlaid visually” Cara Page, “Psalm for the Mismeasured and Unit” (The Video was edited and produced by Sergio Tupac Uzurin of Native NY Video.
sergiotupacuzurin.com, obtained from https://carapage.co/imprints/)

The Physical Examination as Ritual: Social Sciences and Embodiment in the Context of the Physical Examination

• Embodiment is a key concept found in Fatal Invention, typically noted within the field of anthropology
• Costanzo and Verghese (2018) apply the anthropological concept of embodiment to medicine's practice of physical examination to highlight the body in context
• "The notion of embodiment, therefore, allows one to look holistically at humans in the wider social and political context in which each life is lived. Applied to medicine, the concept of embodiment helps one understand how illness and pain further define and shape the lived experiences of individuals in the context of their race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status

Further Reading: Multiple Dimensions of embodiment explores the concept of embodiment from the perspective of a patient, examining how ones 'lived experiences' interact with health and medicine in clinical spaces