The New Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology

Including chapters from 35 leading international experts on health–related issues, The New Companion to Medical Sociology offers insights into the substantive topics of central interest in medical and health sociology. Coverage ranges from standard subjects such as theory, health and social class, racial and gender stratification, stress, and health professions, to relatively new and engaging topics like bioethics, genetics and society, newly emerging infectious diseases, and links to neuroscience.
In recent years medical sociology has evolved into a field that is both applied and theoretical, and in control of its own approach to research. The chapters in this volume not only review relevant empirical research, they are also theoretically informed. With its global perspective and international authorship, the New Companion provides an authoritative, topical, and comprehensive reference to the key concepts and the most important traditional and contemporary issues in medical sociology.

Spis treści:
Preface
Part I: Introduction:
1. Medical Sociology and Sociological Theory: William C. Cockerham (University of Alabama) and Graham Scambler (University College, London)
2. Health and Culture: Stella Quah (National University of Singapore)
3. The Sociology of the Body: Sarah Nettleton (University of York)
Part II: Health and Social Inequalities:
4. Health and Social Stratification: Eero Lahelma (University of Helsinki)
5. Health Status and Gender: Ellen Annandale (University of Leicester)
6. Health, Ethnicity, and Race: Hannah Bradby (University of Warwick) and James Y. Nazroo (University of Manchester)
Part III: Health and Social Relationships:
7. Health and Religion: Ellen L. Idler (Emory University)
8. Health Lifestyles: Bringing Structure Back: William C. Cockerham (University of Alabama)
9. Social Capital and Health: Lijun Song (Vanderbilt University), Joonmo Son (N ational University of Singapore), and Nan Lin (Duke University)
10. Medicalization, Social Control, and the Relief of Suffering: Joseph E. Davis (University of Virginia)
11. Stress: William R. Avison (University of Western Ontario) and Stephanie S. Thomas (University of Western Ontario)
12. Stress in the Workplace: Johannes Siegrist (University of Düsseldorf)
Part IV: Health and Disease:
13. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Urbanization, and Globalization in the Time of Global Warming: George J. Armelagos (Emory University) and Kristin N. Harper (Columbia University)
14. Chronic Illness: Kathy Charmaz (Sonoma State University) and Dana Rosenfeld (University of Keele) 
Part V: Health Care Delivery:
15. Health Professions and Occupations: Elianne Riska (University of Helsinki)
16. Challenges to the Doctor–Patient Relationship in the Twenty–First Century: Jennifer Vanderminden (University of New Hampshire) and Sharyn J. Potter (University of New Hampshire)
17. Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Processes of Legitimation, Professionalization, and Cooption: Hans A. Baer (University of Melbourne)
18. The American Health Care System: Beginning the Twenty–First Century with High Risk, Major Challenges, and Great Opportunities: Bernice A. Pescosolido (Indiana University) and Carol A. Boyer (Rutgers University)
19. The British Health Care System: Michael Bury (University of London)
20. The Convergence and Divergence of Modern Health Care Systems: Fred Stevens (University of Maastricht)
21. Social Policies and Health Inequalities: Amélie Quesnel–Vallée (McGill University) and Tania Jenkins (McGill University)
Part VI: New Developments:
22. A Sociological Gaze on Bioethics: Kristina Orfali (Columbia University) and Raymond G. DeVries (University of Michigan Medical School)
23. Medical Sociology and Genetics: Paul A. Martin (University of Nottingham) and Robert Dingwall (University of Nottingham)
24. New Developments in Neuroscience and Medical Sociology: Simon J. Williams (University of Warwick)
Author Index
Subject Index

Nota biograficzna:
William C. Cockerham is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Co–Director of the Center for Social Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA). He is President of the Research Committee on Health Sociology of the International Sociological Association and a current member of the Editorial Board of the American Sociological Review. His recent books include Social Causes of Health and Disease (2007), Medical Sociology, 11th edition (2010), and the co–authored Health and Globalization (2010).

Okładka tylna:
Including chapters from 35 leading international experts on health–related issues, The New Companion to Medical Sociology offers insights into the substantive topics of central interest in medical and health sociology. Coverage ranges from standard subjects such as theory, health and social class, racial and gender stratification, stress, and health professions, to relatively new and engaging topics like bioethics, genetics and society, newly emerging infectious diseases, and links to neuroscience.
In recent years medical sociology has evolved into a field that is both applied and theoretical, and in control of its own approach to research. The chapters in this volume not only review relevant empirical research, they are also theoretically informed. With its global perspective and international authorship, the New Companion provides an authoritative, topical, and comprehensive reference to the key concepts and the most important traditional and contemporary issues in medical sociology.