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The social production of health: Critical contributions from evolutionary, biological, and cultural anthropology

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  • Levin, Betty Wolder
  • Browner, C.H.

Abstract

In 1946, the newly formed World Health Organization boldly sought to conceptualize "health" as wellbeing in the positive sense, "not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Yet nearly six decades later, researchers are still principally concerned with pathology and its characteristics and consequences. This special issue is the result of an effort to broaden the focus. Anthropologists working from evolutionary, biological and sociocultural perspectives and in diverse geographic regions were asked to examine meanings associated with health and/or to identify social conditions and practices that have contributed to positive physiological and psychological states in particular cultures, times, or across time. Most notable, perhaps, was discovering how difficult it is for Western social scientists to move beyond pathology-based thinking; most authors represented here regard health primarily as the absence of disease. Still, these papers articulate and address questions key to understanding health in and of itself, including: How is health conceptualized? What kinds of social conditions lead to health? And, how do social inequalities affect health? This introduction critically discusses previous work on the subject to contextualize the original research papers offered here.

Suggested Citation

  • Levin, Betty Wolder & Browner, C.H., 2005. "The social production of health: Critical contributions from evolutionary, biological, and cultural anthropology," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 745-750, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:61:y:2005:i:4:p:745-750
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blaxter, Mildred, 1997. "Whose fault is it? People's own conceptions of the reasons for health inequalities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 44(6), pages 747-756, March.
    2. McDowell, I. & Spasoff, R.A. & Kristjansson, B., 2004. "On the Classification of Population Health Measurements," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(3), pages 388-393.
    3. Kindig, D.A. & Stoddart, G., 2003. "What is population health?," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(3), pages 380-383.
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    Cited by:

    1. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.

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