PEOPLE need social connections to thrive.
LIVING WELL TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD IZA KAVEDŽIJA
THE World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. In its definition, the WHO emphasises the importance of environment and community for mental health and well-being, and that they should be promoted and protected. But the fact remains that mental health and well-being are mostly seen as states of individuals. A different view might start from a sense that well-being is social: people need social connections to thrive. But it also means recognising that social institutions and organisations
systemically affect health and suffering. Institutional racism and sexism, for example, contribute to suffering in both direct and indirect ways. Health and illness are at once deeply personal and affected by the social situation of the sufferer. Depending on their circumstances or their place within the society, some people are distinctly at a disadvantage. Being poor, for example, puts people’s health at risk in a multitude of ways. My work explores the concept of well-being in different cultural settings across the world. In my latest research, I reviewed work by anthropologists who consider the importance of conviviality and care in the communities they study. Community and conviviality Conviviality refers to the art of living well together. Researchers see
it as important for understanding how people in certain small communities strive to live well when state institutions and other organisations are a relatively remote presence in their lives. Many Amazonian peoples strive to live well by caring for others in their community, by sharing resources and cultivating particular emotional conditions such as tranquillity. Close and intimate bonds are created through sharing food; one becomes kin by eating together, or estranged by eating apart. Until a few decades ago, when many Japanese houses did not have a bathroom, neighbourhood communal baths were abundant. Even now, bathing with friends or family members is not unusual, with the communal bathhouse offering a muchneeded space for socialising and reconnecting. Living well with
