Nonhuman Well-Being is a Part of Happiness and Well-Being Conceptions Among Central Indian Indigenous Communities

Abstract

The ontological turn in social sciences has revealed the anthropocentrism of earlier literature, but the role of interspecies relations in well-being ideals remains less explored. We examine the role of interspecies relations in well-being conceptions. The study is conducted among Indigenous communities to capture alternative human realities to those mainly reflected in the academic well-being literature. The study asks: what are the perspectives of selected Indian Indigenous communities on interspecies relations and well-being, and what is the role of the interspecies relations in their well-being and happiness conceptions? The research was conducted qualitatively using an immersive study technique, participatory observation and interviews, in eight villages in Central India. The material was analysed by participatory analysis and qualitative coding. The respondents form an 'interspecies community' with most of the nonhumans: the respondents had familial, reciprocal and caring relations with nonhumans, and perceived both the humans and nonhumans to similarly depend on a shared ecology. Such caring relations that relate to a sense of connection, and the well-being of the local humans and nonhumans were seen as important for human happiness. The caring relations towards the nonhumans, and sense of interdependency with the interspecies community tie the well-being of nonhumans to the local well-being conceptions. The local perspectives emphasize and respect the well-being of the nonhumans more than the predominant academic well-being conceptions.