The Sociology of Health and Medicine: A Critical Introduction, 2nd Edition - Softcover

Annandale, Ellen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745634621 ISBN 13: 9780745634623

Publisher: Polity Press, 2014

Synopsis

Highly Commended - BMA Medical Awards 2015: Health and Social Care The fully revised edition of this highly respected textbook addresses the most important theoretical and empirical debates in the sociology of health and medicine. Chapter by chapter the book examines important issues such as the complexities surrounding health and identity, health inequalities, and the organization and provision of health care. A particular strength of the book is its careful attention to theoretical developments in the field. The second edition has been rigorously updated to take account of recent theories and evidence in medical sociology. New to this edition are discussions of globalization, individualization, medicalization, new medical technologies and the sociology of the body. The new edition also looks in detail at recent social change and hotly debated explanations for the patterning of health by socioeconomic status, gender and ethnicity. In addition, it examines developments in contemporary health care, including the reconceptualization of patients as consumers. The result is a text that will be of interest to upper-level undergraduates and postgraduate students in sociology and social policy, as well as students of the allied health professions looking for an in-depth and forward-thinking introduction to medical sociology.

About this title

Review:

Annandale has done it again! A fully revised and rewritten second edition of The Sociology of Health and Medicine, with global extensions now too. One of the best medical sociology textbooks around, in short, has just got better.
Simon Williams, University of Warwick

The second edition of Annandale's Sociology of Health and Medicine is a stellar introduction to the field by a superb scholar. Annandale's lucid prose and richly theoretical approach take readers through the history of medical sociology, its connection with and contribution to sociological theory, and its uses for making sense of global health inequalities. In addition, the book seamlessly incorporates feminist perspectives on gender and health with detailed discussion of contemporary topics in health sociology.
Susan Bell, Bowdoin College

From the Back Cover:

In this exciting introduction to the sociology of health and medicine, Annandale examines the core issues of the discipline and reassesses them in the light of recent developments in health care and social theory. The Sociology of Health and Medicine considers the way in which recent economic and social change has generated new issues and necessitated a re–evaluation of the traditional concerns in the field of health, illness and health care. Annandale examines how theoretical and methodological developments in social theory – such as post–structuralism and revisions to Marxist, feminist and symbolic interactionist thought – has led to new thinking in a number of areas. These include the processes linking "race", gender and class to health and illness, the sociology of the health service and the division of labour within it, and the experience of health and health care. Through a discussion of both traditional and new topics in the field, this book offers a wide–ranging and up–to–date assessment of the state of the sociology of health, illness and health care. The result is an innovative text that both reflects and advances changes in the discipline.

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0745634621
• ISBN 13: 9780745634623
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 304