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Paper short abstract:

Research on biosociality has offered great insights into how people come together through shared experiences of wellbeing, but the role of activism has often been in the background. This paper proposes the concept of biosolidarity to bring attention to the role of activism for biosocial groups.

Paper long abstract:

Anthropological research on biosociality is abundant, and growing. To date, scholars have furthered our insight and understanding of the different ways that people come together through shared experiences of wellbeing. Despite the impact of this work, the role of activism in discussions of biosociality has often been in the background. This paper proposes the concept of biosolidarity to bring attention to the role of activism for biosocial groups. Building on long-term ethnographic research within a less-well-known mental health community, this paper describes the importance of labelling and diagnosis in the process of building biosocial connections for people with compulsive hair pulling (also known as trichotillomania) in the UK and United States. By introducing the concept of biosolidarity, I give focus to the role of activism within this community, to show how the process of biosociality (diagnosis; meeting others; and 'coming out') often leads to forms of activism that help to increase the visibility of the wider community - acts of biosolidarity - which in turn increases the possibility of biosocial connections to be made. I argue that biosociality and biosolidarity work together to reproduce one another and as such the role of activism is vital in understanding biosociality. By considering the differences between the two concepts, I propose that anthropologists can better account for the public and private ways that people come together to improve the lives of their communities through sharing experiences, offering support, and advocating for better care.