A Portal to salutogenesis in languages of the world

Abstract

Several considerations have triggered this Section of the book. First of all, Antonovsky claimed his key concepts within the salutogenic framework were universal, meaning SOC and GRRs could be studied in any society. The empirical evidence on SOC so far seems to support this with few exceptions. Secondly, the early critics of Antonovsky pointed out that the research mainly was concentrated around his own research team and some of his Scandinavian friends. This has never been true; we have research on salutogenesis in all continents of the World and translations of the SOC instrument into at least 49 languages. Thirdly, most scientific literature is today presented in English, meaning research in other main language groups does not appear in most literature searches. This leaves much cultural nuance outside the mainstream salutogenesis literature. Finally, it is about networking. Young researchers who plan to start studies in their countries and language groups will have great benefit of getting in contact with native researchers, enabling discussions and establishing national research teams and networks. This Section thus serves as a portal to salutogenesis writing of scholars working in languages other than English. There are already extensive language group networks such as the Spanish―Ibero American Network based at the Girona University, the French Canadian Network based in Montreal, and the German Network and other National networks.