“Let’s have a conversation about this.” When 22-year-old influencer Famke Louise vehemently opposed the coronavirus measures on Dutch talk show Jinek last September, intensivist Diederik Gommers extended this calm and surprising olive branch. Instead of joining the army of critics opposing the hashtag #ikdoenietmeermee (I’m no longer taking part), the professor from Erasmus MC in Rotterdam opted for an unexpected response. He listened, took the influencer seriously as a discussion partner, and demonstrated his concern after the broadcast. That was the starting point for a unique collaboration between the vlogger and the intensivist that also resulted in a coronavirus campaign on Instagram.
The way in which Gommers interacted with Famke Louise is a good example of what the book Een gezonde samenleving (A Healthy Society) also advocates, says Professor Olivier Hekster: talking to each other, being humane and collaborating. Hekster, professor of ancient history at Radboud University, is one of the editors of the book, which was published last month by Prometheus. In it, Nijmegen scholars from different disciplines address issues related to work, healthcare and daily life and propose solutions for improvement.
According to Hekster, the book shows how Radboud scholars engage with important social questions. “The image of the university as an ivory tower has long been out of date. I don’t know a single scholar who is not in some way concerned with how his or her research relates to social issues. The academic engagement is considerable.” For example, Hekster is involved in research into how historical innovations can help us understand the success or failure of modern innovations.
Healthy society
Healthy living is something that increasingly concerns us. But what is health? When are you healthy? And is there such a thing as a healthy society? These are all questions that have become more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Yet the idea of the anthology preceded the crisis”, says the historian. Even before then, Dutch society was struggling with problems and groups were being excluded. Hekster: “Think of the high number of burnouts among students, the explosion in health care costs, stigmatising labels for psychiatric disorders, psychological complaints among young people, and obesity. As a university, we don’t want to remain on the sidelines of a society that’s struggling with such a wide range of problems.”
The Executive Board also takes the university’s societal role seriously. It’s no coincidence that Radboud University launched the ‘You have a part to play’ campaign in 2019. Climate change, democracy, security, inequality: society is facing vast, complex challenges that cannot be solved by a single discipline. That is why interdisciplinary collaboration is also high on the Radboud agenda.
With this in mind, a number of scholars from various faculties launched the university-wide collaborative project ‘Healthy Society’ in 2016. That project later received support from the university’s administration. As part of the project, researchers from various faculties at the university and Radboud university medical center are working together to explore the question of what constitutes a healthy society.
This interdisciplinary collaboration has resulted in this book, which contains a rich assortment of topics ranging from the flexibilisation of work and the experience of illness to the power of stories during the pandemic. Hekster: “It’s a diverse collection, but all the essays deal with how certain developments or the organisation of society affect people’s physical or mental well-being or exclude people. For example, the section on the fashion industry shows how, despite its glitter and glamour, it is full of exploitation of people and resources.”
Yet the volume goes beyond a description and analysis of the ‘social ailments’ – or rather challenges – that society must face. Hekster: “The scholars also demonstrate how we can tackle these challenges; they offer a perspective on what a healthy society can be.” For example, one essay describes how human behaviour is influenced by the environment and the social network, and how only an interdisciplinary approach can get and keep people active.
Other essays explore ways to work more healthily, delve into ways to reduce differences in healthy behaviour between the highly educated and the less educated, and suggest a route towards a healthier clothing industry. For the latter, Anneke Smelik offers concrete examples of sustainability, such as binding agreements with the fashion industry (including the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile), a slowdown in the production and consumption process, and the use of new materials like hemp and nettles.
Humanity
It is not a given that scholars will dare to make statements about such urgent social issues, according to Hekster. They often find it difficult to speak freely about issues that are not entirely related to their own field. “If we dare to define our expertise as scholars more broadly, that broadens our view. In that sense, the book is also a call to scholars to dare to speak out in areas that may extend beyond their own expertise.”
Hekster acknowledges that the book is an ideological collection. “It’s an appeal to talk to each other and be considerate of each other. That sounds very soft, but I don’t mind. In fact, the collection calls for what I would call ‘scholarship with humanity’.” For the historian, humanity implies not only collaboration with other disciplines and cultures, but also requires that in their research and teaching, scholars are mindful of the people with and for whom they work.
The professor is proud that such a wide range of scholars from across the campus have contributed to the book, out of genuine interest in social issues. “This collection is not only a call for dialogue, humanity and engagement, but it is above all an expression of it.”
Een gezonde samenleving. Wetenschappelijke perspectieven in tijden van crisis| Edited by Marieke van den Brink (Professor of Gender and Diversity), Olivier Hekster (Professor of Ancient History) and Gert Jan van der Wilt (Professor of Health Technology Assessment at Radboud university medical center)| Uitgeverij Prometheus | Available in bookstores | €20.
This article previously appeared in Radboud Magazine 69, September 2021. Text: Inge Mutsaers. Photo from Pixabay