Social Sciences in One Health: Insights From Multiple Worlds Perspectives on the Dam Rupture in Brumadinho-Brazil.

Ana Pérola Drulla Brandão,Jéssica Alves De Lima Germine,Stefanie Sussai,Diego Duarte Eltz,Aline Araújo

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.649355

Abstract

Concepts that integrate human, animal, and ecosystem health - such as One Health (OH) - have been highlighted in recent years and mobilized in transdisciplinary approaches. However, there is a lack of input from the social sciences in OH discussions. This is a gap to overcome, including in Latin America. Therefore, this paper incorporates recent studies from economics and anthropology to the debate, contributing to the opening of transdisciplinary dialogues for the elaboration of OH theory and practice. As a starting point, we explore the recent case of a tailings dam breach, making considerations about how and why this event was experienced in different ways by the affected Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds. From economics, we show how different theories perceive and impact these different worlds, presenting some existing alternatives to the hegemonic thinking of domination and exploitation. From anthropology, we present the perspectivism concept, deriving from the field of relational ontologies, suggesting there are significant and inevitable disagreements-equivocations-among different worlds. Thus, we discuss how the social sciences can help address challenging factors that need to be considered in health approaches that intend to deal with complex global problems. In conclusion, OH should incorporate social science discussions, considering relating practice to the multiple realities in which a particular problem or conflict is inserted. Overcoming the barriers that hinder transdisciplinary dialogue is fundamental and urgent for an effective approach to the multiple and distinct interconnections among humans, animals and environments.

Highlights

In recent years, some holistic health perspectives such as One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health have grown in importance, and their concepts have undergone a process of constant refinement
Utilizing a particular event as an example and starting point, we present challenging factors (Panel 1) from studies and recent discussions in economics and anthropology that exemplify the need for transdisciplinary discourse
Such discussions are an example of the undeniable contribution of the social sciences to One Health issues, since they highlighted the existence of challenging factors - such as huge environmental impacts considered as mere externalities and the existence of equivocations between different worlds

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Some holistic health perspectives such as One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health have grown in importance, and their concepts have undergone a process of constant refinement Some differences between these terms have been studied and described, such as their origin and central focus, the sciences contributing to each of them, One Health and Multiple Worlds and how they value humans, animals and ecosystems [1]. For the Pataxó Hã-hã-hãe Indigenous people, the river is what Western thinking understands as nature, and a part of themselves - the watercourse is a life course Based on this context as a starting point, this paper relies on theories and discussions of economics and anthropology to suggest there are significant disagreements among multiple worlds (Panel 1). We suggest that identifying equivocations and being open to this communicative exercise can be a key element in any integrative health approach

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT