Social suffering and the embodiment of the world: contributions from anthropology

Abstract

Suffering, a complex and multifaceted process that has been debated across different areas of knowledge, is an experience that has accompanied man since his earliest existence. This article aims to introduce the contribution of anthropology to this debate, focusing on the social dimension of the affliction, which has been called, more specifically, social suffering. Starting with an exposition of concepts relating to health problems, it is suggested here that suffering is social, not just because it is caused by or occurs in specific social conditions, but because, as a whole, it is an embodied social process in historical subjects. The paper is based on an ethnographic case of the indigenous people of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, and discusses three aspects of social suffering: (1) the authorized or contested appropriations of collective suffering, (2) the medicalization of life and (3) suffering in relation to public policies. Finally, the difference between the recognition of a health problem and a process of social suffering is highlighted, the latter being characterized by the inseparability of physical, psychological, moral and social dimensions of discomfort. It should be emphasized that the contributions of anthropology include the provision of theoretical and methodological tools that allow us to ask, by engaging with the subjects and considering their history and social situation, how suffering is produced and recognized and the political and ethical implications of these different types of recognition.