Sensing wellbeing and health: A linguistic-affective approach

The definitions of wellbeing and health determine, to a great extent, the actionable steps that societies take to achieve them. Fundamental limitations to the current dominant understandings of these terms have been identified. Following an affective, decolonial, and Latinx feminist perspective, in this research I collaborate with 59 first- and second-generation internal migrant women in Quito, Ecuador, and El Churo, a local communication NGO and community media outlet, to explore expressions of wellbeing and health beyond hegemonic theories. In doing so, I introduce the linguistic-affective approach as a possible alternative to reach novel insights, foster meaningful collaboration with diverse communities, and reconsider health communication processes and community-engaged research more broadly. The reflections shared in these pages emerge from the under-represented experiences of women in the Global South. As such, they add to feminist and decolonial models and endeavours existing outside and surpassing dominant considerations and practices by further contradicting, complementing, and expanding ruling paradigms. The main contributions of this study include tracing new paths to discover and communicate alternative expressions of wellbeing and health; advancing the theory and practice of affective, decolonial, and feminist work; and enhancing the implementation of communication and community-engaged research projects within the health and social sciences. These insights could inform the creation of policies, systems, and healthcare services that better serve excluded groups within and beyond the Western world, particularly those more systematically and historically deprived of access to material, communication, and health-related resources.