Exploring the Potential for the Arts to Promote Health and Social Justice

Abstract

Health involves the inclusion and combination of "circumstances / representations / elements related to biological, social, cultural, environmental, economical, political, etc. aspects"; as such, it is a dynamic notion that can only be comprehended and discussed in a contextualized way (Sanmartino 2015, p. 87). Thus, the field of health promotion, a discipline that seeks to enable people to increase control over and ultimately improve their health, is grounded in a complex understanding of health:To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life-styles to well-being (WHO 1986).