Coordenators:
Brígida Riso [Faculdade de Medicina,ULisboa]
Catarina Delaunay [CICS.NOVA, NOVA FCSH]
Joana Zózimo [PORDATA - FFMS; CSG - ISEG]
Health 4.0: Could the future be healthier?
Against a backdrop of rapid social, economic, political and climatic change, it is becoming increasingly clear that these transformations are inextricably linked to the way we experience and live with health, both individually and collectively. We have never been healthier, and we have never lived for so long. However, the emergence of new epidemics, the succession of environmental disasters and armed conflicts, the rise of polarising discourse, as well as changes in the workplace, in the possibilities for work-life balance and social interaction, and a life increasingly mediated by social media, threaten our health and force us to reorganise our daily lives. Consequently, new diseases, new treatments and new ways of organising care are emerging, whilst inequalities are becoming more pronounced and institutional responses from health systems are becoming scarce. Sociology, particularly the health sociology, has been producing diverse and pluralistic knowledge, thereby constituting a fundamental pillar for addressing current challenges, but also for contributing, in a solid manner and grounded in robust knowledge, to the future of health. Accordingly, the thematic section on the sociology of health invites proposals focusing (though not exclusively) on the following themes:
a) Unique journeys and plural experiences of health: How do we relate today to the body, to health and to illness in a context hyper-mediated by the presence and use of technology? What relationships are emerging (or fading) with healthcare professionals and institutions? What forms of knowledge are coming into interaction or conflict in the age of generative artificial intelligence?
b) Institutional and policy responses: How can the pressure on national health systems be alleviated? What emerges from the resilience of the systems and those who build them, be they healthcare professionals, administrative staff, service users, families, commercial agents and suppliers, or the social, private and complementary sectors?
c) Health at a global level: In a globalised world, where borders are sometimes blurring and sometimes rising, how is the role of the main international health agencies shaped? How are changes in the global context reflected in local planning, or how do services respond to international challenges, ranging from responses to migration flows to geopolitical and climate changes impacting global health?
d) Polarities: In the amalgam of institutions, individuals, new health professionals and influencers, how do these multiple forms of knowledge, sociabilities and actors intertwine, converge and/or conflict in the production of alternative responses to health and well-being?
We also interrogate how, in this rapidly changing context, the ‘old’ sociological assumptions about health and illness will fare in the future. How might sociology—and health sociology in particular—contribute to better health, or even to a single concept of health, for both people and ecosystems? Will the society of the future evolve into a healthier, fairer and more equal society?
We invite the submission of abstract proposals based on academic and non-academic research, including empirical work, theoretical and methodological contributions, as well as reports of professional experiences.
Proposals, in addition to theoretical essays, must be formulated presenting their theoretical framework, objectives, methodologies used, results and conclusions.
Professional contributions can take the form of experience reports, including context, objectives, actors involved, methodologies, activities developed, and key learnings.
Proposals must be submitted via the personal area by the deadline specified in the submission guidelines.
Proposals may be submitted in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French.
The maximum length of the abstract is 2,500 characters (excluding spaces).
Evaluation will consider the clarity of objectives, methodological adequacy, relevance of results, and the overall quality of the proposal.
The Congress will take place in person at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve, in Faro, from 23 to 25 March 2027, and may include online sessions on 22 March. At the time of submission, authors must indicate whether they intend to participate in person or online.
All the authors will be invited to submit the full papers for publication in the Congress Proceedings.
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