Description
Book SynopsisThis timely Handbook provides an essential guide to the major topics, perspectives, and scholars in the sociology of health and medicine. Contributors prove the immense value of a sociological understanding of central health and medical concerns, including public health, the COVID-19 pandemic, and new medical technologies.
Through critically analysing the wide variety of approaches taken by sociologists of health and medicine, this Handbook explores what makes the field distinctive. Chapters cover the full human life span and review key theoretical viewpoints as well as significant empirical themes, drawing on cutting-edge research. The diverse selection of contributors offer insights into important areas of health and medical development including precision medicine, epidemics and pandemics, data-intensive medicine, AI, neuroscience, and future hospitals. The chapters also examine the implications of COVID-19 across various domains of health, medicine, and healthcare.
Covering key questions, debates, and emerging perspectives, this Handbook will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars in sociology, public health, and science and technology studies. It will also be an important guide for policymakers and practitioners seeking to develop effective health policies and programs.
Trade Review‘The Handbook on the Sociology of Health and Medicine
is an outstanding resource, unpacking and exploring classic and contemporary perspectives in health sociology. Spanning enduring issues such as (bio)medicalisation right through to the more recent digital and affective turns, it contains fresh and critical contributions by an illustrious group of scholars who lead the field globally. Artfully balancing conceptual and empirical concerns, this Handbook will be essential reading for students and researchers interested in health, illness and care.’ -- Alex Broom, University of Sydney, Australia
‘This Handbook is a triumph! Leading scholars contribute chapters on classic and contemporary sociological theories, substantive topics in health and medicine, and key concepts inter alia biomedicalization, digitisation, emotion, embodiment, inequality, narratives, and risk. This text is a must for students and scholars who are studying and researching matters of health, illness, and medicine.’ -- Sarah Nettleton, University of York, UK
‘This timely Handbook is an ecumenical collection of essays from respected international colleagues, from Australasia, the UK, Canada and the US, and Scandinavia, each with refreshingly different perspectives and priorities. It covers a broad range of problems, levels of analysis, theoretical views, and methods, and draws upon and will be useful for knowledge workers in related disciplines like philosophy, epidemiology, healthcare policy, social psychology, anthropology, and ethics.’ -- John B. McKinlay, retired Professor of Sociology, Boston University, US
‘In this wide-ranging collection of essays, leading international authors present evidence and analysis of key topics in medical sociology. A major addition to the field - especially relevant at a time of upheaval in global health and society. An essential guide for all students and researchers in health and illness.’ -- Mike Bury, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Table of ContentsContents: 1 Introduction to the Handbook on the Sociology of Health and Medicine 1 Alan Petersen PART I MAJOR THEORETICAL INFLUENCES AND PERSPECTIVES 2 Constructing the boundaries of health sociology 28 Fran Collyer 3 Critical theories in sociologies of health and medicine 47 Graham Scambler 4 New materialist perspectives on health, illness and health care 62 Nick J. Fox 5 Sociologies of health and gender 76 Ellen Annandale 6 Biomedicalisation revisited: concepts and practices 91 Adele E. Clarke, Melanie Jeske, Janet K. Shim, and Laura Mamo 7 Health inequalities 110 Kevin Dew and Sarah Donovan 8 Illness narratives: from analysis to answerability 124 Danielle Spencer and Arthur Frank PART II SIGNIFICANT EMPIRICAL RESEARCH THEMES 9 Young people and the sociology of chronic illness: meanings, management and consequences 139 Jonathan Gabe and Lee F. Monaghan 10 The sociology of mental health and illness 151 Joan Busfield 11 Pharmaceuticalisation: origins, drivers and new developments 170 Jonathan Gabe and Paul Martin 12 Sociological approaches to the gendering of emotions in health and illness 187 Gillian Bendelow and Alison Phipps 13 Sociology of the medical profession and para-professions 199 Will Schupmann and Stefan Timmermans 14 Health, society and social suffering 213 Iain Wilkinson 15 Sociologies of food and eating 227 Anne Murcott 16 Diagnosis 243 Annemarie Jutel 17 The media politics of health, illness and healthcare 257 Alison Anderson 18 The sociology of bioethics 274 Raymond De Vries 19 Antimicrobial resistance: discourse, practice and relating 291 Nik Brown 20 Sociologies of public health and health promotion 308 Judith Green and Cristian Montenegro 21 Risk and health 324 Andy Alaszewski 22 Ageing 339 Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard 23 Racism and racialisation in healthcare settings 354 Sarah Hamed and Hannah Bradby 24 Disability and the sociology of health and illness 378 Gareth M. Thomas 25 Sociology of the pregnant and birthing body 393 Mandie Scamell and Andy Alaszewski 26 Sleep, health and medicine: sociological agendas 408 Simon J. Williams, Catherine Coveney and Robert Meadows 27 Sociological contributions to the study of death in health and medicine 424 Glenys Caswell PART III EMERGING TOPICS AND PERSPECTIVES 28 Sociologies of precision medicine 439 Barbara Prainsack 29 The sociology of epidemics and pandemics 455 Robert Dingwall 30 Data-intensive medicine 474 Klaus Hoeyer 31 Artificial intelligence for long-term care in later life 488 Barbara Barbosa Neves and Maho Omori 32 Digital health: practices and infrastructures 504 Benjamin Marent and Henriette Langstrup 33 Neuroscience, novelty, and the sociology of the brain 525 Martyn Pickersgill 34 Hospitals of the future 541 John Gardner Index 555
