Introduction. Social Suffering

Abstract

The article explores the concept of social suffering within the context of medical anthropology, highlighting its emergence as a crucial area of study that transcends disciplinary boundaries. Social suffering is examined as a construct intricately linked to human actions, power dynamics, and broader socio-historical processes. It challenges the notion of suffering as a purely universal and precultural experience, emphasizing its deep social roots and the role of human agency in its manifestation and mitigation.

It delves into the biopolitical dimensions of suffering, drawing on Agamben's concept of "bare life" to illustrate how modern forms of power operate by controlling and defining life itself. This includes the ways in which humanitarian interventions and biomedicine shape experiences of suffering, often through mechanisms that isolate individuals from social and ethical contexts.

The discussion extends to the impact of global humanitarian and military-industrial complexes, particularly in the context of AIDS relief programs, where access to treatment is intertwined with the ability to narrate personal suffering within predefined frameworks. This phenomenon is linked to the emergence of "biosociality" where social relationships and rights are constructed around shared biological conditions.