Health Promotion International Advance Access originally published online on October 2, 2006
Health Promotion International 2007 22(1):72-79; doi:10.1093/heapro/dal037
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Ottawa to Bangkok: changing health promotion discourse
Department of Education, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Address for correspondence: Christine Porter Department of Education Cornell University Kennedy Hall 4th, Floor Ithaca, NY 14853, USA E-mail: cp226{at}cornell.edu
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The discourse of the 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World represents a radical departure from that of the Ottawa Charter that, in 1986, staked a place for the health promotion field in mainstream public health. Via a critical analysis of the discourse in these two Charters, this paper illustrates a shift from a new social movements discourse of ecosocial justice in Ottawa to a new capitalist discourse of law and economics in Bangkok.
The Bangkok Charter's content may identify actions, commitments and pledges required to address the determinants of health in a globalized world through health promotion, but this paper shows how its discourse works to naturalize and perpetuate many of detrimental determinants associated with globalization.
Key words: critical discourse analysis; Ottawa Charter; Bangkok Charter; health promotion discourse