The purpose of this chapter is to examine how Theodoret of Cyrrhus appropriated discourses of Roman masculinity in his Historia religiosa (ca. 440–444 CE), with the purpose of making the monks more acceptable, more marketable, to his would-be readers. Masculinity was a tactical appropriation that signified social worth. The study analyses four discourses related to masculinity in the Historia religiosa, all functioning with the purpose of showcasing the interior struggle between the soul and body of the monk. These discourses are warfare, athletics, slavery and medical discourse (health and illness). All function to show the superiority of the souls of the monks. By proving that the souls of the monks have universally dominated their bodies, they are also qualified to exercise external social, political and religious control. Hence, because of their total inner domination, Theodoret’s masculine monks can show dominance against foreign armies and raiders, generals and governors, and even an emperor. As literary characters, they become quite marketable to more reserved and conservative would-be readers.

In Chapter 1, human well-being is defined and compared globally as inherently relational and creative, based on current research, indicating that the impact of technology is causing societal and individual stress, particularly due to social isolation.

Chapter 4 specifies the relevance of international human rights law in the context of the TRIPS at the junction of WTO law and IP law. This chapter explores the possibilities and limits of a coexistence perspective between IP and human rights. Accordingly, human rights are considered an integral part of the interpretative resources required to comprehend the TRIPS-stipulated obligations. This chapter focuses on human rights entailed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), such as the rights to health, food, and education, complementing the rich scholarship on the access modality of these rights (e.g., access to drugs, seeds, and educational material) by focusing on both the right to science and the right to self-determination as interpreted in a republican way. By interfacing with IP law, the right to science highlights the relevance of accessing scientific progress and its benefits while focusing mainly on the importance of a participative and inclusive approach to identifying and defining a population’s needs and priorities.

Discusses the importance of prioritizing evidence from the formerly enslaved, while using a multiplicity of primary evidence, especially when researching highly unequal and complex systems such as slavery. It stresses the dominance, for too long, of the records of powerful enslavers within slavery’s history. Considers how the context of the 1930s influenced the comments of the WPA respondents about cooking and eating while enslaved. Some interviewees had nostalgia for food in the past, while others continued to provision in a manner akin to slavery, conveying longer-run continuities of oppression. Addresses longer-term and rising food inequalities within the United States and their implications, drawing on the writings of other historians and activists. A lack of adequate, nutritious food choices began in slavery. People in poorer neighborhoods more likely to live in “food deserts” and to suffer from poorer health outcomes. Summarizes the book’s interventions into the histories of feminism, slavery’s capitalistic machinations, and how historians can deploy primary evidence in ways that seek to overcome archival absences. Cooks in the quarters, while exploited, should be celebrated.

In this chapter, we first provide an overview of health and mental health outcomes across the different types of street segments studied to assess whether residents of crime hot spots have more adverse health issues compared with residents living on street segments with little or no crime. We find that there are strong relationships between mental and physical health and living in crime hot spots as opposed to non-hot spots. We then examine whether negative health outcomes are a consequence of living in a crime hot spot. We find that hot spots of crime are not simply places with high crime rates; they are also places with strong physical and mental health deficits. After accounting for selection, several physical and mental health problems are found to result from living in a crime hot spot.

Human capital – defined by education, health, and skills – is essential for economic resilience and social cohesion. This chapter analyses how inclusive investment in people drives innovation, reduces inequality, and strengthens institutions. It critiques underinvestment in public services and challenges the idea that human development is a luxury. Drawing on comparative data, the chapter shows that equitable access to quality education and healthcare correlates strongly with long-term growth and democratic stability. Prosperity begins with people.

Chapter 2 turns to the second betrayal. This chapter scales down into the personal accounts of test veterans post-service lives, when emergent illnesses eluded explanation and social recognition, and private shame and debility stalled their lives. I show how unsettled memories and unsettled illnesses coalesced with the slow-moving invisibility of radiation in ways that negatively impacted their families and their well-being. Claim-making thus began as prefigurative struggles driven by delegitimating encounters with medical actors, and the accumulating acts of sharing service memories in veteran spaces. This chapter charts how in these practices test veterans and their family members became claim-makers, a collectivity that produced the possibilities for political and legal action.

This chapter offers readers perspective on ideals and practices that shaped health-related treatment of former service members from the Revolutionary period through the end of the Cold War. Studying how veterans fought for and accessed health services over two centuries offers a compelling view of the wide-ranging impacts of military endeavors on policy and politics and on the individual lives of service members and civilians. It also brings into sharp relief the extent to which norms of civilian society – for example, changing perceptions of how diseases are classified and what constitutes proper care – influence wars and perceptions of them. Broadly, the chapter shows that, while veterans’ care became more bureaucratized and institutionalized over time, some realities were constant: the nature and extent of available services, and the ways people interpreted them, were dictated by former service members’ advocacy, as well as prevailing notions about governmental responsibility, illness and disease, disability, and medical practice. Most broadly, the history of veterans’ experiences related to health care reveals that war and society are inextricably and intricately linked.

Human flourishing is a fundamental goal of most societies, and various theories have approached this concept, including the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, self-determination theory (SDT), and the integrative model of behavioural prediction (IMBP). These theories focus on different aspects of well-being and the factors that influence an individual’s ability to lead a fulfilling life. This chapter aims to explore the capability approach (CA) and examines how it complements and connects with these existing theories. This chapter demonstrates how, by emphasising the importance of individual capabilities and human agency, the CA broadens the applicability of these theories. Unlike classical models that focus primarily on analysing situations, the CA highlights the broader context, aiming to enhance flourishing by considering situational determinants and the impact of contextual factors on an individual’s ability to make meaningful choices. This chapter contributes to a more nuanced understanding of human flourishing by illustrating the synergies between the CA model and other theoretical models. It argues that to be truly comprehensive and effective in the real world, theories must embrace the transformative potential of the CA.

Between 2010 and 2012, a catastrophic earthquake sequence devastated Christchurch, a colonial city built on Ngāi Tahu ancestral land in Canterbury, New Zealand. This chapter explores how government agencies, including public health services, collaborated with mana whenua (Ngāi Tahu, the local Māori tribe) to rebuild Ōtautahi Christchurch in ways that respect its colonial past while looking to a climate-challenged future. The rebuild sought to integrate natural environmental features and symbolic markers significant to mana whenua, while also promoting health, wellbeing, and a renewed sense of place for all residents. Writing as three Tangata Tiriti (settler-colonial) women, we draw on our professional roles in public health, urban design, landscape architecture, and strategic planning. We reflect on our involvement in planning and policy implementation, considering what worked well, what fell short, and our hopes for a future city that fosters resilience, inclusivity, and belonging.