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This book examines the use of sociological theory in medical or health sociology. It discusses major theoretical approaches and identifies new directions in theory that provide explanatory models of the social processes affecting health and disease today.

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This book provides readers with a single source reviewing and updating sociological theory in medical or health sociology. The book not only addresses the major theoretical approaches in the field today, it also identifies the future directions these theories are likely to take in explaining the social processes affecting health and disease. Many of the chapters are written by leading medical sociologists who feature the use of theory in their everyday work, including contributions from the original theorists of fundamental causes, health lifestyles, and medicalization. Theories focusing on both agency and structure are included to provide a comprehensive account of this important area in medical sociology.

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Chapter 1: The Rise of Theory in Medical Sociology: William C. Cockerham.- Chapter 2: Modern Symbolic Interaction Theory and Health: Kathy Charmaz and Linda Belgrave.- Chapter 3: Social Construction and Health: Sigrun Olafsdottir.- Chapter 4: Statecraft and Soulcraft: Foucault in Prolonging Life: Bryan S. Turner and Alex Dumas.- Chapter 5: Marx, Critical Realism, and Health Inequalities: Graham Scambler and Sasha Scambler.- Chapter 6: Fundamental Cause Theory: Bruce Link and Jo Phelan.- Chapter 7: Bourdieu and an Update of Health Lifestyle Theory: William C. Cockerham.- Chapter 8: Gender Theory and Health: Ellen Annandale.- Chapter 9: Theories and the Rise and Fall of the Medical Profession: Bernice Pescosolido.- Chapter 10: Medicalization, Changing Contours, Charateristics, and Contexts: Peter Conrad.- Chapter 11: Reflexive Modernity and the Sociology of Health: Brian Hinote and Jason Wasserman.- Chapter 12: Social Capital and Health: Lijun Song.

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