Unequal Worlds of Care examines how policymakers, providers, and patients in Malawi navigate a healthcare system transformed unevenly by foreign aid. Whether through engaging in political resistance, refusing treatment, or leveraging the opportunities available to them, people contend with global health programs that only partially recognize their healthcare realities. Ultimately, overlooking fundamental aspects of healthcare limits even the best-intentioned efforts to improve people’s health and well-being.

Amy Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she researches health inequalities, development and humanitarianism, and emergent technologies. Her book, Unequal Worlds of Care: The Politics of Global Health in Malawi, follows policymakers, providers, and patients as they respond to global health programs that target certain issues but not others. Her research has also examined how race is understood and operationalized in health service delivery. She also works with interdisciplinary groups to examine the societal impact of new technologies, like gene drives and precision medicine.

This event is presented by the Global & Community Health Program and co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute.