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Medical Discourse

Bibliographic Data

ID2295288
AuthorsJames M Wilce (0000-0001-6363-4092, Northern Arizona University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume38
Issue1
Pages199-215
Publication date2009-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnual Review of Anthropology (BOOK_SERIES)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0084-6570 • E-ISSN: 1545-4290
PublisherAnnual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1146/annurev-anthro-091908-164450
OpenAlexW4234239979
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited117

Discourse plays an important role in medicine, and medical discourse in the broadest sense (discourse in and about healing, curing, or therapy; expressions of suffering; and relevant language ideologies) has profound anthropological significance. As modes of social action, writing and speaking help constitute medical institutions, curative practices, and relations of authority in and beyond particular healing encounters. This review describes cultural variation in medical discourse and variation across genres and registers. It then surveys two approaches to analyzing medical discourse: conversation analysis (CA) and discourse studies echoing Foucault's work, attempting to spur dialogue between them. Such dialogue could be fruitful because, despite hesitancy to invoke macrosocial variables, conversation analysts as well as Foucaultian discourse analysts have reflected on medical authority. Finally, the article reviews recent attempts to contextualize closely analyzed interactions-written exchanges as well as face-to-face clinical encounters-vis-à-vis the global circulation of linguistic forms and ideologies

Civil discourse · Conversation · Discourse analysis · Epistemology · Face (sociological concept · Ideology · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Communication · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law

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Unique citing works31
Citations per year2,07
Citation span2011 - 2025 (15)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 30
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