Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have noticed an abrupt shift in the health-related political opinions of peers, clients, friends, and family members. Where many holistic healthcare communities once centered compassion and inclusion for all bodies, identities, and abilities, popular wellness culture now pushes an increasingly impossible standard of beauty, health, and fitness, along with an imagined state of genetic perfection. Behind the curtain of “optimal health”, we’ve seen a surge in extreme conservative politics; transphobia, ableism, white supremacy, and even eugenics are resurgent in our communities, as demonstrated in the conservative “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
What’s behind this rapid shift, and why does it have such wide appeal?
In this workshop and community conversation, we’ll look at some of the underlying historical and social factors that are influencing this transformation, including the connection to the polycrisis of late capitalism. We’ll also consider why herbalists and other complementary health and wellness practitioners might be particularly susceptible to puritanical values masquerading as “natural health.” We’ll discuss the causes and harms of health supremacy, where it’s leading us as a society, and what we can do — as practitioners, colleagues, family members, and engaged citizens — to reverse this trend.
About the Instructor
Mica McDonald (they/he) is a clinical herbalist (VCIH grad ‘16), scholar-activist, and writer living in Abenaki territory (Central VT). Their recent research has focused on the influence of capitalist-colonialism, neoliberalism, and right-wing ideology on wellness culture, New Age religion, and spiritual seekers. micaherbalist.wordpress.com
Wednesday Nov. 5, 6 - 7:30 pm ET
When you register, you'll receive a zoom link to join the live class. You'll find the recording and slides posted in your course dashboard a few days after the live event. You can access this course, view the video replay, and download slides and handouts for one year from registration date.
