Prologue to [Part I Sustainable Wellbeing in Theory and History]

Far from being defined as straightforward, unambiguous concepts, sustainable development and wellbeing are presented as contested fields. Their porosity has allowed for a proliferation of definitions and hermeneutic approaches. Why wellbeing is essential to sustainable development is explored here from interconnected theoretical and historical perspectives. What wellbeing is, for whom, and how it can be sustained requires considering expectations, degrees of power and agency expressed by various social cross-sections, political parties, economic interest groups, and exponents of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Reaching an agreement about a fair sharing of benefits and hazards associated with the ever increasing potentials of science-driven technologies and industries presupposes a complex synergy of concepts, methodological approaches and historical awareness.