"It was Something that is a Necessity": Stories of Collective Protest, Vulnerability, and Well-Being. Issue 6 (12th May 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rawlins, L. Shelley
• Is Part Of: Health communication. Volume 38:Issue 6(2023)
• Page Start: 1243
• Page End: 1245
• Publication Date: 2023-05-12
• Subjects: collective protest -- well-being -- narrative inquiry -- storytelling -- health communication; Communication in medicine -- Periodicals; Health in mass media -- Periodicals; 362.1014
• DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1997384
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1041-0236

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this essay I explore the risks of activism I witnessed in two protesters' accounts of participating in collective protest. Listening to their stories led me to reflect on matters of well-being, embodiment and vulnerability, vicarious trauma, and the prospect of physical and emotional burnout. Protesters often put themselves in harm's way to fight for a greater good. I contend that participating in peaceful protest serves personal well-being while also contributing to broader societal senses of what constitutes a well-lived life. For better and worse, every instance etches itself on vulnerable flesh, blood, and being-in-the-world.