Revisiting the depoliticisation thesis

Political participation and the use of complementary and alternative medicine in Europe

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7544461
AutoresLaura Kemppainen (0000-0001-9320-2442, University of Helsinki, autor correspondente), Suvi Salmenniemi (0000-0002-9339-8673, University of Turku)
Ano2026
Volume69
Fascículo1
Páginas90-107
Data de publicação2026-02-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoActa Sociologica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0001-6993 • E-ISSN: 1502-3869
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00016993241311741
OpenAlexW4406527440
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas41

The increasing cultural prevalence and appeal of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have raised concerns about its potential depoliticising effects. Due to its focus on the self, CAM is believed to cultivate individualism and orient transformative energies towards self-improvement rather than the collective struggle for social justice. However, despite these concerns, few quantitative studies have examined CAM from the perspective of the depoliticisation thesis. This article aims to address this gap by studying the association between political participation and CAM with data from the European Social Survey (ESS). These data enable us to capture a diverse range of CAM practices and to scrutinise both institutionalised forms of political participation, such as voting, and non-institutionalised participation taking place in civil society. Contrary to the depoliticisation thesis, our results show that CAM users either engage more actively in voting or do not significantly differ in their voting behaviour compared to non-users, depending on the specific CAM modalities considered. Moreover, CAM users participate more actively in non-institutionalised activities than non-users across all types of CAM modalities. This article offers valuable insights into the relationship between CAM and political engagement and challenges prevailing assumptions about the depoliticising effects of CAM

Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Law · Public Administration