Medical Sociology : Power and Resistance

by Hannah Bradby

• ISBN13: 9781412920735
• ISBN10: 1412920736
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-05
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

This book provides a contemporary account of why medical sociology matters in our modern society. Combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, and applying the pragmatic demands of policy, this Hannah Bradby explores society's response to key issues such as race, gender and identity to explain the relationship between sociology, medicine and medical sociology. Each chapter includes an authoritative introduction to pertinent areas of debate, a clear summary of key issues and themes and dedicated bibliography.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Sociology, medicine and medical sociology

Introduction

Medical sociology and its relationship with sociology

Theory and application

Sociology and medicine

Interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity

References

Introducing the Sociology of medicine, health and society

Social theory and the sociology of health and medicine

Introduction

Parsons and functionalism

Criticism of Parsons' idealised type

Theories of conflict and political economy

Inequalities and social stratification

Interactionism

Phenomenology

Modernity and post-modernity

Social constructionism

Post-structuralism and structuralism

Criticism of constructionism

Conclusion

Further reading

References

Health Inequalities

Introduction

Theory and inequality

Inequity and inequality

Measurement of inequality

The pattern of health inequalities

Causes of inequalities

Health care and inequalities

Global inequality

Conclusion

Women, Gender and Feminism

Introduction

Feminism

Gendered visibility

Gendered polarity and theorising difference

Reconceptualising gender

Undoing polarities

Health inequalities

Morbidity, gender and the effect of work

Conclusion

References

Ethnicity, racism and difference

Introduction

Background - UK

Background - US

Sociology of race relations

Ethnicity and health inequalities

Mental health

Conclusion

References

Bodies, pain and suffering

Introduction

The sociological body

Dissecting the body

Cultural bodies

Biotechnological bodies

Embodiment

Bodies and disabilities

Bodies and narrative

Mute bodies

Meta-narrative and suffering

Conclusion

References

The Workings of Medicine

Introduction

Background

Medicine's golden age

Medical power

Medical imperialism

Proletarianization, deprofessionalization and corporatization

Challenging medicine: efficacy, efficiency, accessibility

Efficacy, equity and efficiency

Managers, managerialism and markets

Challenging equity

Has the NHS improved?

The doctor-patient relationship in a regulatory framework

The legal challenge

Consumerism in medicine

Specialisation

Alternative medical practitioners

Medical tourism

Medicalisation in a digital era

Conclusion

References

Conclusion

Introduction

The practice of medicine

Medical encounters

Biotechnology

Ethics and expectations of biotechnological innovation

The culture of bioethics

Global health

Medical migration

Global suffering and sociology

Conclusion

References

Glossary of terms

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