Bücher der Reihe Critical Studies in Health and Society

Outlines what an adequate feminist analysis of women's health might look like. This book is suitable for academics and students working in sociology, women's studies, gender studies, social medicine, social policy, nursing and midwifery.

Resistance and social movements in mental health have been important in shaping current practice in both mental health and psychiatry. Building on the author's extensive research, this book provides an account and exploration of the key features. It also addresses changes in health and medicine, providing a sociological perspective on psychiatry.

In Western societies, 'lifestyle' as an explanation for health and illness has become increasingly popular. Based on real doctor-patient consultations as well as interviews with doctors, this book explores the ambiguity of the term 'lifestyle' and the way it is conceived and applied within medicine.

Do nurses still care? Based on original empirical research, this book delves into personal accounts of nurses' emotion expressions and experiences as they emerge from everyday nursing practice, and illustrates how their emotional labour is adapting in response to a constantly changing work environment.

Explores the extent to which globalisation and commercialisation relate to health policies. This book looks at the implications for citizens, patients and social rights, as well as how policy making interacts with the interests of global and European trade and economic policies.

Essential Thinkers for Medical Sociology explores the work of key social theorists and the application of their ideas to issues around health and illness. Encouraging students and researchers to use mainstream sociological thought to inform their substantive research on health and healthcare, this text discusses the work of eleven influential contemporary thinkers Habermas, Luhmann, Wallerstein, Bauman, Bourdieu, Foucault, Merleau-Ponty, Archer, Latour and Deleuze & Guatt. Each chapter includes a critical introduction to the central theses of a major social theorist, ways in which their ideas might inform medical sociology and some worked examples of how their ideas can be applied. Containing contributions from established scholars, rising stars and innovative practitioners, this book is a valuable read for those studying and researching the sociology of health and illness.