This roundtable proposes a critical discussion of the inclusion/exclusion patterns imbricated in the production of knowledge surrounding the field of health education.  At local levels, selecting which knowledge should be deemed as adequate for an entire school system in a given region or nation-state, often intersects with an existing social stratification and thus, may provide a base for social inequalities to increase (Apple 2013, p. 72).  At global level, the production of knowledge and setting of standards privilege certain epistemologies which are profoundly entrenched in a geographical and cultural mapping of political and economic power relations. This pattern is, in our view, highly counter-productive. The “global-local” dichotomy that overwhelmingly prevails in health promotion as in development discourses, implies a correlation between the “Global”, the “first-world” and the “Global North” without much articulated opposition outside the academic domain. Only after we duly acknowledge and make a real effort to engage the vast array of approaches and understandings in matters pertaining to health promotion that currently exist, and often co-exist, in different regions of the world can this inclusion/exclusion pattern be actively revisited.   

Without falling into an exacerbated cultural relativism, we argue that it is possible, and necessary, to revisit the prevailing, “first world” epistemological frameworks that informs educational research and practices in the field of health, including those within school-based health education and promotion. In order to achieve this objective, we highlight the imperative to acknowledge the existence of plural epistemologies, encourage epistemological dialogue (Santos, 2014 p.189) and engage scholars and practitioners operating within diverse cultural, political and economic environments in substantial and meaningful ways.

The objective of this roundtable is to discuss different epistemological frameworks utilized in research and practice related to education and health in different contexts around the globe. The focus of the discussion will be on the explicit or implicit privileging of particular epistemologies, types of knowledge and the consequences of this. Further, the discussion will unpack the potentials, limitations and challenges related to different epistemologies with a view of exploring the possibilities to capitalize on transcending the dominant epistemologies through generative dialogue and genuinely collaborative research. The focus will be on comparing the practices in this respect in Europe with those outside Europe.

The key questions which will be addressed are:

1)    Knowledge generation: what are the different meanings of knowledge production in health education in different parts of the world?

2)    Knowledge dissemination: what counts as evidence in health education globally?

3)    Actionable knowledge: how can knowledge be communicated and shared in ways that it would be beneficial for researchers, policy makers, practitioners in diverse contexts?

4)    How research on health in educational contexts can contribute to inclusion and equity at the global level?

5)    Is the concept of “Global North-Global South” relevant when it comes to research and knowledge sharing that aims to contribute to inclusion of plural epistemologies and equity in health education research, policy and practice? 

Apple, M.W. (2013) Knowledge, Power, and Education. Routledge: London. Santos, B de S. (2014) Epistemologies of the South: Justice against epistemicide. Routledge: London.