Introduction

Abstract

The introduction to Understanding Health Inequalities and Justice: New Conversations Across the Disciplines describes the terrain of health justice and inequalities and the multiple disciplinary perspectives that explore it. In the introduction, the editors advance the view that how we approach health inequalities and justice is a matter of great import, and argue for the positive impact multiple disciplinary perspectives may have when engaged in conversations together on these matters. The introduction offers a substantive discussion of normative paradigms informing health justice including egalitarian, libertarian, utilitiarian, rights-based, and principles-based bioethics approaches. In addition to examining each of the three sub-headings of the volume: 1. Interrogating Normative Perspectives on Health Inequality and Justice, 2. Disrupting Assumptions and Expanding Perspectives through Cases, and 3. Rethinking Evidence and the Making of Policy, each chapter is given a detailed introduction and described in relationship to other relevant chapters in the volume.