ABSTRACT

Well-being is a heterogeneous idea with inconsistent applicability to real-world circumstances. In this article, I explore A’uwẽ (Xavante) notions of social well-being from an ethnographic perspective. My data indicate many members of this Indigenous group understand wellness to involve not only health and harmony, but also certain modes of strife and inequality that are also viewed as desirable. A’uwẽ understandings of social wellness, including linkages to the environment, suggest that a broader and more locally contingent concept of social well-being than is evident in mainstream literature would benefit transcultural health efforts and policy involving Indigenous and other culturally distinct communities.

摘要

幸福感是一个异质的想法，对现实世界的适用性不一致。在本文中，我从民族志的角度探讨了 A'uwẽ (Xavante) 社会福祉的概念。我的数据表明，这个土著群体的许多成员理解健康不仅涉及健康与和谐，还涉及某些也被视为可取的冲突和不平等模式。A'uwẽ 对社会健康的理解，包括与环境的联系，表明比主流文献中明显的更广泛和更本地化的社会福祉概念将有利于涉及土著和其他文化不同社区的跨文化健康工作和政策。