Sociologies of Disability and Illness

Thomas, C. Sociologies of Disability and Illness: Contested Ideas in Disability Studies and Medical Sociology . Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan . 2007 . ix+213pp £19.99 ISBN 9781403936370 (pbk) £55 ISBN 9781403936363 (hbk) To say that this book 'does what it says on the tin' would be to undervalue the range, complexities and nuances of ideas that are to be found within. Nevertheless, the basic premise of the book, outlined fully in the opening chapter, is that medical sociology and disability studies, at best, talk past each other and more often directly clash, emerging as they do from within different 'overarching paradigms'. The main reason for this conflict, Thomas suggests, are the differing lenses that particular issues are viewed through; medical sociology remains embedded in and largely committed to a notion of disability as social deviance, whilst disability studies maintains a strong focus on social oppression as the foundation on which theoretical and empirical work should rest. The work is far from simplistic in its explication of these two paradigms. Chapters 2 and 3 take great care to explore the influence(s) of various theoretical perspectives within medical sociology (functionalist, interactionist, conflict theories and poststructuralist) and disability studies (materialist/marxist, poststructuralist, and feminist) respectively whilst also clearly demonstrating how the application or interpretation of these perspectives continues to be influenced through and by the social deviance/oppression paradigms. This being the case, medical sociology is said to have favoured interpretive perspectives that facilitate a focus on micro-social interactions whilst disability studies has a political commitment to materialist social model perspectives that recognise the centrality of disablism; oppression created through social structures and systems. To further elaborate on the nature and possible direction of this debate and conflict between these two disciplines, the following three chapters focus on three specific areas: care and dependency; the body; and experiencing disability, chronic illness and impairment. Each of these three areas functions almost as a case study for highlighting the depth and range of the disciplinary divide but also develops evidence of opportunity for overcoming the divide or at least recognising where writers in each of these disciplines show conceptual movement that can incorporate ideas from the other. The book is summarised in Chapter 7 and concludes by reflecting on whether it is possible, or even desirable, to have a 'singular sociology of disability'. Although present throughout the book, it is here that Thomas makes her position in regard to the disciplinary divide most explicit. Remaining committed to a social oppression paradigm, she urges those within medical sociology to be more reflexive and critical about basing work, explicitly or implicitly, within a social deviance paradigm. Yet, she also suggests that to develop a singular sociology of disability would require those in disability studies to pay more attention to the 'personal'- particularly to what she has termed 'psycho-emotional disablism' and 'impairment effects'- if issues of social agency as well as social structure, and their interrelations, are to be fully appreciated and understood. The strength of this book lies in three key aspects. First, it deals with complex issues in a style that is very accessible and this is aided by the clear signposting and structuring throughout the work. Secondly, several sections of the book could also act as stand - alone 'mini-guides' that introduce readers to particular fields and the core texts within them. For example, Chapter 2 on 'theories and traditions in medical sociology' and Chapter 3 on 'theories and traditions in disability studies' both provide an excellent introduction to these areas that could usefully aid teaching and learning with undergraduate and masters students in areas such as sociology, social work, and in the health professions. Likewise, Chapter 5 on 'the body' provides an overview of the current state of play regarding the increasingly important academic sub-discipline of 'the sociology of the body'. Thirdly, the book more than meets its aim in providing an in-depth explication and analysis of ideas that have been, and continue to be, contested between medical sociology and disability studies, whilst also outlining how these disciplines could move closer to developing a more coherent 'sociology of disability' for the future. To this end, the book is clearly at the forefront of highlighting and analysing the borderland between disability studies and medical sociology and should therefore form a core text on these disciplinary courses/modules. It would, however also make a very welcome addition to reading lists for those on applied courses in health and social care where it could be of great use in aiding reflexivity and thereby enabling practitioners (or practitioners in the making) to challenge their own (and others') thinking in relation to disability and impairment

Deviance (statistics · Disability studies · Epistemology · Marxist philosophy · Materialism · Oppression · Politics · Premise · Social science · Sociology · Symbolic interactionism · Disability Rights and Representation · Gender Studies · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Law

• Estranged but not strangers

  Open Access•Vicki A Bamford•Cosmopolitan Civil Societies An…•2018

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