Costa rica's 'white legend': How racial narratives undermine its health care system

Developing World Bioethics 11 (2):99-107 (2011)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

A dominant cultural narrative within Costa Rica describes Costa Ricans not only as different from their Central American neighbours, but it also exalts them as better: specifically, as more white, peaceful, egalitarian and democratic. This notion of Costa Rican exceptionalism played a key role in the creation of their health care system, which is based on the four core principles of equity, universality, solidarity and obligation. While the political justification and design of the current health care system does, in part, realize this ideal, we argue that the narrative of Costa Rican exceptionalism prevents the full actualization of these principles by marginalizing and excluding disadvantaged groups, especially indigenous and black citizens and the substantial Nicaraguan minority. We offer three suggestions to mitigate the self-undermining effects of the dominant national narrative: 1) encouragement and development of counternarratives; 2) support of an emerging field of Costa Rican bioethics; and 3) decoupling health and national successes

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Equity and public health care in china.Ren-Zong Qiu - 1989 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 14 (3):283-287.
Does it really care? The Harvard report on health care reform for Hong Kong.Julia Tao Lai Po-wah - 1999 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 24 (6):571 – 590.
Should we create a health care system in the united states?Laurence B. McCullough - 1994 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 19 (5):483-490.
Free choice, equity, and care: The moral foundations of health care.Chan Ho-mun - 1999 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 24 (6):624 – 637.
Anti-racist health care practice. [REVIEW]Kathryn L. Mackay - 2011 - International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics 4 (2):164-168.
Can Bioethics Survive in a Dying World?Jessica Pierce - 2002 - Journal of Medical Humanities 23 (1):3-6.
Children's rights to health care.Dan W. Brock - 2001 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 26 (2):163 – 177.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-07-26

Downloads
49 (#287,646)

6 months
3 (#445,838)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references