An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness by Kevin White

An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness by Kevin White

`This book does exactly what it says on the tin!′ - Community Practitioner `Health is a preoccupation of the media and of the wider culture of advanced societies. Kevin White guides us through the many reasons for the centrality of health. The thesis of his book is that health and illness are products not just of our biology but of the society into which we are born. He expertly draws on the works of Parsons, Marx, Foucault and feminist writers to provide an authoritative analysis of the social nature of health′ - Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford The main purpose of this book is to demonstrate that disease is socially produced and distributed. Becoming sick and unhealthy is not the result of individual misfortune or an accident of nature. It is a consequence of the social, political and economic organization of society. In developing this thesis, the author systematically introduces students to the major sociological explanations of the role and functions of medical explanations of disease. The book situates the student securely in the literature and provides a guide to the strengths and weaknesses of the major sociological approaches. It draws out the essential features of the major sociological contributions and elucidates how an appreciation of the dynamics of class, gender, ethnicity and the sociology of knowledge challenges medical power.

`The overall arguments being made are thoroughly sociological, and the chapters provide great overviews and insights that even those experienced in the field will find usefulThe chapters in the text are very stimulating, and White calls on a variety of perspectives to flesh out the arguments he makes. I would certainly recommend the text for introductory courses. The invigorating style should be attractive to students′ - eSocHealth

`Health is a preoccupation of the media and of the wider culture of advanced societies. Kevin White guides us through the many reasons for the centrality of health. The thesis of his book is that health and illness are products not just of our biology but of the society into which we are born. He expertly draws on the works of Parsons, Marx, Foucault and feminist writers to provide an authoritative analysis of the social nature of health′ - Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford

Kevin White is Reader in Sociology at the Australian National University, Canberra. He has held appointments at Flinders University, Wollongong University and Victoria University, Wellington New Zealand. He has published widely in the sociology of health and in the social history of medicine. At ANU he lectures the large introductory class, Introduction to Social Psychology, The Sociology of Health and Illness, Classical Social theory and Qualitative Methods.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780761964001
ISBN 10	0761964002
Title	An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness
Author	Kevin White
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	SAGE Publications Inc
Year published	2002-03-26
Number of pages	196
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.