An epistemological reflection on the psychosocial processes experienced by One Health researchers.

Abstract

In the era of the Anthropocene and the ensuing transitions, the One Health approach is one of the possible answers to rethinking our place on the planet. The aim of this article is to propose an epistemological reflection on the psychosocial processes that concern researchers working with the One Health approach, developing some perspectives that have received limited attention to date. We argue for the importance of making these processes explicit, and to focus on the complexity associated with sticking to both a One Health and a community-based approach. Drawing on our experience as researchers engaged in participatory and community-based research in the field of social psychology of health and ecology, and involved in research projects oriented towards the One Health perspective, we outline four key challenges researchers may face: (1) moving beyond anthropocentric conceptions of health, particularly in human medicine, the social sciences, and public health; (2) integrating moral commitments, values, and plural identities into scientific reflection; (3) collaborating with other 'disciplinary communities'; (4) integrating non-academic researchers into the co-construction of science, by legitimising the experiential knowledge. For each challenge, we propose theoretical and methodological tools, conceived as resources to support researchers navigating these transitions.