The intersection of knowledge between social and human sciences and public health

Abstract

This paper discusses the intersection of knowledge between the social sciences and public health. The author begins discussing the legacy of classic social science and debates how and to what extent the social and human sciences constitute a subfield which, in turn, articulates different rationalities. The text is based on a survey about the scientific production of seven important Brazilian journals in the field: Journal of Public Health, Reports in Public Health, Science & Public Health, Health and Society, Physis, Interface and History, Science and Health in the period of January 2011 to August 2012 (20 months). There were a total of 1757 articles published in these journals, of which 545 (31.0%) on social sciences and health or interfacing with the field of public health. The article focuses on the analysis of this literature and concludes that: participation of social sciences and humanities in health is thriving; seminal authors constitute an irradiator polo of knowledge, but the contribution of scholars from second or third generation is already seen. It is also true that the problems referred to by social and human scientists are the same that occupy today social theorists, philosophers and historians worldwide.