Physiotherapist and PhD candidate Eduan Breedt discusses the intersection of politics and healthcare, challenging neoliberal values in physiotherapy. They explore the evolving concept of the body in healthcare, emphasizing the importance of critical inquiry in the profession for progress and equity in care.
Healthcare professionals should consider political influences on healthcare practices.
Neoliberalism in healthcare promotes individual responsibility, potentially blaming individuals for sickness.
Clinicians should reflect on societal influences in healthcare beyond traditional perspectives.
Deep dives
Exploring the Refusal of the Body as Machine
The podcast episode delves into the trend of rejecting the concept of the body as a machine, which emerged during the industrial revolution. The discussion focuses on how this traditional view is being challenged by newer perspectives, such as the body as modulation, which reflects the characteristics of contemporary digital technologies.
Implications of Neoliberalism in Healthcare
The episode examines how neoliberalism influences healthcare practices, emphasizing personal responsibility and individual empowerment. It delves into the consequences of this neoliberal approach, highlighting how it can lead to assumptions that illness is solely the individual's fault and can exclude certain populations.
Questioning Assumptions in Healthcare
The conversation encourages clinicians to reflect on the underlying assumptions within healthcare systems. It challenges individuals to move beyond traditional viewpoints and consider broader societal influences, such as historical legacies like settler colonialism and their impact on healthcare practices.
Broadening Perspectives and Political Awareness
Listeners are encouraged to explore various fields outside of their profession, such as health sociology, medical anthropology, and nursing practices, to gain diverse insights. The episode stresses the importance of understanding power dynamics, politics, and systemic influences within healthcare.
Ed's PhD Journey and Research Focus
Ed discusses his PhD research, which aims to explore the shift from viewing the body as a machine to the concept of the body as modulation. He investigates how this new perspective parallels modern digital technologies and the current political economy. Ed's work focuses on understanding the implications of this evolving concept on healthcare practices and populations.