Ottawa to Bangkok: changing health promotion discourse

The discourse of the 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World represents a radical departure from that of the Ottawa Charter that, in 1986, staked a place for the health promotion field in mainstream public health. Via a critical analysis of the discourse in these two Charters, this paper illustrates a shift from a 'new social movements' discourse of ecosocial justice in Ottawa to a 'new capitalist' discourse of law and economics in Bangkok. The Bangkok Charter's content may identify 'actions, commitments and pledges required to address the determinants of health in a globalized world through health promotion', but this paper shows how its discourse works to naturalize and perpetuate many of detrimental determinants associated with 'globalization'.