Cultural determinants of health as a new strengths-based framework for global health: Lessons from Indigenous Australia

In the Indigenous health and well-being research space, ‘cultural determinants of health’ has emerged as a critical concept reinforcing Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. Building on the momentum gained by social determinants of health, the use of the phrase ‘cultural determinants’ in Indigenous-led research reflects the integration of global public health and epidemiological concepts with Indigenous and anthropological theories of culture. However, in wider global health discourses its theory and utility remain poorly defined. Proxy categories like language, geographical region, or ethnicity are often identified as representative of culture, without further specificity or consultation with those from that culture. Of great concern is the almost universal framing of culture as a negative trait by global health experts, which hinders public health efforts to improve well-being outcomes for the cultural Other. There is already a breadth of research evidence that supports the positive relationship between the continuation and revitalization of Indigenous cultures and health and well-being outcomes. This chapter explores the cultural determinants of health concept from an Indigenous Australian and anthropological perspective and argues that cultural determinants have a vast untapped potential in global health discourses when emic perspectives lead their definition and use.