Qualitative Perspectives on Global and Social Health Education

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Introduction

This special issue seeks to bring together scholarly work that explores the significance of qualitative research in understanding and transforming global and social health education. In a world marked by health disparities, educational inequalities, and socio-political tensions, there is a growing recognition that numerical data alone cannot capture the depth and complexity of health-related experiences. Qualitative inquiry offers a powerful lens through which to examine how individuals, communities, and institutions construct, experience, and respond to health education across varied cultural and geographical contexts. Health education is not merely a technical or procedural endeavor. It is a deeply social and political process that reflects and reinforces wider systems of power, identity, belief, and access. Qualitative approaches allow researchers to investigate the nuanced relationships between health knowledge, social practices, institutional structures, and individual experiences. This special issue encourages submissions that engage with the richness of human experience, giving voice to those who are often left out of mainstream policy discourse and biomedical narratives.

We are interested in work that draws on a wide range of qualitative traditions, including ethnography, grounded theory, life history, case study, curriculum criticism, policy studies, narrative inquiry, phenomenology, deconstruction, genealogy, autoethnography, ethnomethodology, and forms of educational or social critique. Papers that challenge conventional research formats and offer innovative or creative ways of producing and representing qualitative knowledge are especially welcome. This includes work that uses storytelling, arts-based methods, or reflexive writing to communicate complex insights about health education. In addition to empirical research, the special issue welcomes theoretical contributions that examine questions of ontology, epistemology, methodology, or ethics. These might address how knowledge in health education is constructed, how certain perspectives are validated or excluded, or how researchers can navigate ethical dilemmas in cross-cultural and community-based settings. Such reflections are crucial in a time when global health education is undergoing transformation and when the values and assumptions that underlie research practices deserve renewed scrutiny.

This issue also aims to spotlight studies that address the lived realities of those at the margins of health systems and educational institutions. This includes, but is not limited to, research focusing on indigenous communities, displaced populations, children and youth, women and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and communities in low-resource or post-conflict settings. By centering diverse voices and experiences, the issue seeks to disrupt dominant narratives and expand the understanding of what health education can and should be.

Ultimately, this special issue invites scholars, educators, practitioners, and theorists to reflect critically on the roles education and research play in shaping public health, social justice, and collective well-being. Through diverse qualitative perspectives, we hope to create a space for dialogue that reimagines the possibilities of health education and affirms the importance of context, culture, and care in both research and practice.

List of Topic Areas

• Lived experiences of health education in marginalized or underserved communities.
• The role of culture, language, and identity in shaping health beliefs and practices.
• Critical curriculum studies in global and social health education.
• Historical and genealogical inquiries into the development of health education systems.
• Narrative constructions of illness, healing, and care in health education contexts.
• Teacher and learner perspectives on health literacy and public health messaging.
• Critical policy analyses of health education reform.
• Autoethnographic reflections on personal engagement with health systems or education.
• Cross-cultural and international comparisons of health education practices.
• Educational responses to global health crises through qualitative lenses.
• Ethical and methodological reflections on conducting research in health education settings.

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/he 
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/he 

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 10/10/2025 
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 15/04/2026