Knowing about the body, knowing through the body: health communication from an ethics of care

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic generated a global crisis that brought various aspects of human existence into tension. In the field of health, the hegemonic biomedical model prevailed in explaining and offering solutions. However, its biologistic perspective proved insufficient, prompting questions and reflections on the sociohistorical and situated dimension of bodies and challenging capitalist modes of production in their relationship with the living. This article undertakes a critical review of the biomedical model and then engages in dialogue with contributions from other fields of knowledge regarding alternative ways of conceptualizing bodies, from bodies themselves and their relationship with the living. It is argued that, through a dense and vitalist understanding of the concept of health, and by incorporating insights from care perspectives and feminist debates, alternative frameworks can be constructed for thinking about communication in this field.