Sociocultural Interpretations of the Concept of “Health”: From Biopolitics to the Ethics of Self-Care

The paper presents the evolution of the concept of “health” in a socio-cultural context based on the problem-chronological method. The lower chronological boundary is defined by classical antique notions of harmony between the individual and the polis, while the upper boundary encompasses the biopolitical dimensions of self-care themes and practices. The aim of the study is to determine how the content of the category of “health” has changed in accordance with the prevailing norms in different historical periods. It has been revealed that in modern society, a coexistence of both a biopolitical model of health and an ethics of self-care exists. In the former, health serves as a tool for normalization and control; in the latter, it manifests as a means of resistance and an expression of subjectivity. In modern contexts, health constitutes a sociocultural space of interaction between the individual, the state, and institutions, within which the delineation of freedom and responsibility takes place, marked by transitions from disciplinary practices to self-regulation. In an age of digitalization, interpretations of health acquire a new degree of relevance, as it becomes an object of digital monitoring, social comparison, and politicization through media platforms. The study concludes that health is a key sociocultural mechanism for the distribution of power, responsibility, and subjectivity in modern societies.