The Sociology of Health and Medicine - 2nd Edition by Ellen Annandale (Hardcover)

Book 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.

Review Quotes

"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

"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

About the Author

Ellen Annandale is Professor and Head of Sociology at the University of York.