Ongoing demographic changes are challenging health systems worldwide especially in relation to increasing longevity and the resultant rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). To meet these challenges, a paradigm shift to a more proactive approach to health promotion, and maintenance is needed. This …

According to the global definition (IFSW, 2014), social work is a profession. Since the second half of the twentieth century, however, the meaning of professionalism has become blurred and its practices have been criticized fiercely. In order to understand, appreciate and strengthen social work as a …

In the social sciences, especially in social psychology and sociology, fear of the unknown and the tendency to favour the group one belongs to are recognised phenomena. This chapter will look at elements of these scientific theories and establish a link between these elements and the initial findings …

Community Music presents a contested field. Cultural policy has had a hard time dealing with community music because aesthetic intentions, social objectives and economic motivations may all play a role for actors and sometimes clash. This chapter provides a scheme of the basic tensions inherent to community …

Samenvatting Dit onderzoek komt voort uit mijn interesse voor de beroepspraktijk van oudere beeldend kunstenaars. Kan deze beroepspraktijk ook als een vorm van levenslang en levensbreed leren beschouwd worden? Aangezien in de artistieke praktijk en in het leerproces van de kunstenaar het ‘zelf’ een prominente …

Understanding heterogeneity in farm development strategies is important in order to design effective policies and support programs to increase the sustainability of agriculture in relation to its socio-material context. Using a unique case study of 102 dairy farmers in The Netherlands, all operating …

When citizens’ initiatives stop: a case-study in the rural areas of the Netherlands

Dutch voluntary sport clubs (VSCs) are facing several challenges in perceived consumerist behavior by members (Van der Roest, 2015), demands by the government to attribute to the social policy agenda (Waardenburg, 2016; Coalter, 2007) and declining number of members in complex contexts (Wollebæk, 2009). …

Introduction The provision of active parks/public open space is the key factor in promoting active living, because people and specially low-income and elderlies are being more interested in doing non-organized/informal, and no-cost sports/physical activities in outdoor spaces in recent decades (Borgers …

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces the development of environmental anthropology as a distinct sub-field and its central theoretical issues, and provides extensive intellectual histories and commentary by the …