A comprehensive collection of original essays by leading medical sociologists from around the world, fully updated to reflect contemporary research and global health issues
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology is an authoritative overview of the most recent research, major theoretical approaches, and central issues and debates within the field. Bringing together contributions from an international team of leading scholars, this wide-ranging volume summarizes significant new developments and discusses a broad range of globally-relevant topics. The Companion's twenty-eight chapters contain timely, theoretically-informed coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and emerging diseases, bioethics, healthcare delivery systems, health disparities associated with migration, social class, gender, and race. It also explores mental health, the family, religion, and many other real-world health concerns.
The most up-to-date and comprehensive single-volume reference on the key concepts and contemporary issues in medical sociology, this book:
- Presents thematically-organized essays by authors who are recognized experts in their fields
- Features new chapters reflecting state-of-the-art research and contemporary issues relevant to global health
- Covers vital topics such as current bioethical debates and the global effort to cope with the coronavirus pandemic
- Discusses the important relationship between culture and health in a global context
- Provide fresh perspectives on the sociology of the body, biomedicalization, health lifestyle theory, doctor-patient relations, and social capital and health
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in medical sociology, health studies, and health care, as well as for academics, researchers, and practitioners wanting to keep pace with new developments in the field.
Table of Contents
List of Contributors viii
Preface xix
Part I Introduction 1
1 Medical Sociology and Its Changing Subfields 3
Terrence D. Hill, William C. Cockerham, Jane D. McLeod, and Frederic W. Hafferty
2 Medical Sociology and Sociological Theory 22
William C. Cockerham and Graham Scambler
3 Research Methods in Medical Sociology 45
Joseph D. Wolfe, Shawn Bauldry, and Cindy L. Cain
4 Health and Culture in the Global Context 62
Stella Quah
5 Bioethics: A Study in Sociology 82
Kristina Orfali and Raymond De Vries
Part II Theoretical Approaches 103
6 The Sociology of the Body 105
Sarah Nettleton
7 Biomedicalization Revisited 125
Adele E. Clarke, Melanie Jeske, Laura Mamo, and Janet K. Shim
8 Health Lifestyles: Bringing Structure Back 150
William C. Cockerham
9 The Life Course Perspective 171
Kim M. Shuey and Andrea E. Willson
10 Social Capital and Health 192
Lijun Song and Yvonne Chen
Part III Health and Social Inequality 215
11 Health and Social Class 217
Jarron M. Saint Onge and Patrick M. Krueger
12 Health and Gender 237
Ellen Annandale
13 Health, Ethnicity, and Race 258
Hannah Bradby and James Y. Nazroo
14 African American Health 279
Christy L. Erving and Lacee A. Satcher
15 Latinos and Equity in Health Care Access in the US 303
Ronald J. Angel and Jacqueline L. Angel
16 Social Policies and Health Inequalities 322
Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Jaunathan Bilodeau, and Kaitlin Conway
Part IV Health and Social Relationships 347
17 Health and the Family 349
Mieke Beth Thomeer and Kirsten Ostergren Clark
18 Health and Religion 370
Ellen Idler
19 Migration and Health 389
Elyas Bakhtiari
20 Mental Health 410
Teresa L. Scheid
Part V Health and Disease 431
21 Emerging Infectious Diseases 433
Ron Barrett
22 Beyond the Lost Self: Old Insights and New Horizons in the Sociology of Chronic Illness 447
Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski
Part VI Health Care Delivery 471
23 Health Professions and Occupations 473
Jason Adam Wasserman and Brian Philip Hinote
24 Doctor-Patient Relationship 495
Hyeyoung Oh Nelson
25 Complementary and Alternative Medicine 516
Eeva Sointu
26 American Health Care System: Reforms for Access, Outcomes, and Cost Amid Legal, Legislative, and Political Disputes 537
Bernice A. Pescosolido and Carol A. Boyer
27 The British Healthcare System 556
Jonathan Gabe
28 The Chinese Health Care System 572
Lei Jin and Chenyu Ye
Author Index 590
Subject Index 605
