Sociology of Health and Illness

Drawing from a range of disciplines and case studies, this volume examines the latest health and genetic technologies, explores the representation, communication, and internalization of health knowledge and reveals the economic and cultural inequalities that result from these technologies.

Can the social sciences explain the emergence of mental disorders in societies or in individuals? This book presents a critical look at sociological explanations of mental illnesses, making the case for their renewal.

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This thought-provoking collection redefines the boundaries of moral responsibility. It shows how epigenetics reveals connections between our genetic make-up and our environment. The essays suggest a shift in focus from individual to collective responsibility.

This crucial contribution exposes the misconception that health research and health services are equally effective for all and highlights their failures in engaging with Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups. It provides essential case study examples on recruitment, engagement and partnerships with BME groups in research and public engagement.

Establishing a critical and interdisciplinary dialogue, this text engages with the typically disparate fields of social gerontology and disability studies. It investigates the experiences of two groups rarely considered together in research – people ageing with long-term disability and people first experiencing disability with ageing.

Putting the spotlight on neoliberalism as a pervasive tool that dictates wellness as a moral obligation, this book critically analyses how users navigate relationships between self-tracking technologies, social media and health management.

This book showcases the impact of state responses to COVID-19 on marginalized communities. The authors analyse the lockdowns, immigration and border controls, vaccine trials, income support and access to healthcare across eight countries in Australasia, North America, Asia and Europe to reveal the internal inequities within and between countries.

Critical realism helps researchers to extend and clarify their analyses. This original text draws on international examples of health and illness research across the life course, from small studies to large trials, to show how versatile critical realism can be in validating research and connecting it to policy and practice.

Extending the ideas developed in the previous volumes in the Social Determinants of Health series, this book reviews the impact of COVID-19 on local and national governance from the perspectives of public health, social care and economic development.

This book addresses the prejudices that emerged out of the collision of the two pandemics of 2020: COVID-19 and Racism.

With dementia care shifting from institutional to home settings, this book considers the intersections of formal health and social care strategies and family experiences. Drawing on case studies from Canada, it enhances the understanding of good policy and practice in dementia care and the potential for better outcomes for all those concerned.