Health, Illness and the Social Body: A Critical Sociology - Softcover

This text presents a critical, holistic interpretation of health, illness and human bodies that emphasizes power as a key social-structural factor in health and in socital responses to illness. It does not attempt to cover every relevant topic in Medical Sociology, but is organized as a set of core essays around which to build a course.

This book presents a critical, holistic interpretation of health, illness and human bodies that emphasizes power as a key social-structural factor in health and in societal responses to illness. Offers a solid theoretical focus and presents cross-disciplinary applications from sociology, anthropology, and psychology. Explores such topics as Who Becomes Sick, Injured, or Dies?; The Material Foundations of Health and Illness; Mind, Body, and Society; Social Organization, Health, and Illness; The Social Meanings of Sickness; The Illness Experience; Seeking Health and Help; The Social Construction of Medical Knowledge; Modern Biomedicine: Knowledge and Practice; Stratification and Power in Health Care Systems; and Economic Interests and Power in Health Care. Asks critical questions about the medical model of health and illness and the dominance of the medical establishment in the U.S. health care policies and institutional arrangements. Covers contemporary issues — e.g., Health Care Reform, AIDS, Women's Care, Environmental, and Occupational Issues. Highlights important recent research and theoretical contributions — with special emphasis on ethnic diversity, gender differences, and social stratification. For practitioners and administrators in the medical and health care fields as well as anyone interested in medical sociology, such as urban planners.