Introduction to the special section: Histories of Global Health in Africa

Global health is a multidisciplinary field, yet rarely productively incorporates historical knowledge. Local historical processes, interactions with past biomedical campaigns, and dynamic ecological narratives shape how disease outbreaks, health crises, and international interventions are received and remembered. The residues and afterlives of past interactions influence contemporary understandings. We argue for a broadening of the types of knowledge that are integrated into global health research, interventions, and policymaking by paying attention to project afterlives and better integrating forms of vernacular knowledge. Recognizing, understanding, respecting, and incorporating this knowledge is critical to the efficacy of global health-related interventions and the resulting outcomes. •Current global health endeavors are connected to past biomedical activities.•Epistemic diversity in global health will lead to more effective and ethical programs.•History and vernacular knowledge are crucial for understanding the continent today.•Attention to case studies will create more nuanced global health programming.