Art as Disruption in Global Health Humanities

Abstract

Narrative learning and reflective writing have been shown to enhance physicians’ empathy, improve clinical interview skills, and help practitioners understand patients’ illness experiences. This chapter describes a global health humanities workshop that taught students to use an art technique (A Humument by Tom Phillips) to process materials from a sexual and reproductive health archive, culminating in reflective writing and public presentations. The workshop was developed through an interdisciplinary collaboration among a global health educator, a library archival curator, and a poet. The chapter describes the archival context, pedagogical goals, student learning, lessons learned, and future plans for using this approach.